The Awakening
by Christine Anderson
Summary: The first book of what will hopefully turn out to be a trilogy, The Awakening follows the lives of the Scoresbys, a family hunted by an estranged woman seeking revenge. This is set several decades past all canon events of the Harry Potter series.
1. Prologue

Prologue

_My family was an integral part of the fourth major Wizarding World War. I am one of the sole survivors of a battle that utterly destroyed my family, my livelihood, and that of those around me. To say that we were unaccustomed to hardships would be a lie, but nobody expected such a devastating turn of events in a time of peace._

It started with a widow. Morgan Burke had been alone for years, and in all truthfulness, she should probably have gotten used to it. But even now, the lingering memories haunted her every step, causing her to second guess herself when she spotted a shadow flickering in the corner of a dark room. Her husband's presence had never completely left the expansive manor in which she lived, but she would never admit this to anyone. In fact, she had very few people to even confide in if she could. Her own son, an adult now and married to that insufferable Scoresby girl, had disowned her long ago, and after the death of her husband, had left her completely alone. The resentment she felt dwindled with the passing hours, leaving her with nothing but the sorrow of a family, once reasonably happy, gone awry.

She had never expected to be happy, and looking back, she considered that this may have been her mistake. Her relationship with Adrian had started as pure lust, admiration, and the thrill of rebellion. Love had come much later, after she'd carried to term the product of their irrational decisions and come to realize that unexpected circumstances weren't always necessarily bad. After all, she had loved her son, believed herself to be more adoring than the other mothers she encountered, more determined to keep him safe. But this stemmed from the constant fear that the Dark Lord would descend upon them at any moment and steal Wesley for his own purposes. To some effect, she had been somewhat of a stifling mother.

As a wife, she had served Adrian well, acquiescing to his requests in a reasonable manner, while still retaining the title of an equal. They had worked together as a team to maintain their family's safety and keep in good standing with the Dark Lord for the duration of his reign. In many ways, the Burkes were not unlike the Scoresbys, despite the violent rivalry that existed between them. When Wesley had breached this impassible boundary, his parents had taken it as a personal blow and an affront to the endless amount of work they put into keeping him safe. In all reality, he was lost to them the moment he fell in love with Rosie.

But Morgan dwelt too much in the past, and accomplished too little for the present. And it showed. She was hardly older than Julie Scoresby, but the difference between them was a stark contrast which served as a testament to their chosen livelihoods. Morgan had begun to show her age when her family fell apart. She had little reason to keep herself from slipping, as she barely left the house and spent much of her time wandering the rooms of her home. In truth, she was beginning to get desperate.

Sitting in the wing-backed chair of her husband's study, she gazed emptily into the fire burning low in the fireplace. Just as the nights before, she was completely alone, left to her thoughts, which on this night were churning more than usual. A glass of red wine shimmered on the end table beside her, untouched and gleaming in the light from the fire. A feeling hung in the air that, try as she might, she could do nothing to get rid of. It was a nagging feeling, an urge that brought her to this very room, that caused her to linger while she sat in the chair once frequented by her husband.

_There's something about this room_, she thought to herself, _something different._

Rain pattered against the high wrought iron windows and books lined shelves on one side of the room. A tall oil portrait stared down at her from above the mantle, reminding her hauntingly of times gone by. The oaken door embossed with elaborate designs stood faintly cracked, letting in dim light from the hallway beyond. The high ceilings supported a dangling chandelier made of full lead crystal; a soft tinkling produced by a draft that ran the length of the room sent a chill up her spine.

Everything was exactly as it should be, except that it was utterly different. When Morgan closed her eyes, she saw things as they used to be. The room was brightly lit, the warm summer sun letting in a stream of gleaming sunlight, leaving the fireplace vacant and unused. Adrian stood in the doorway, smiling faintly as he watched Morgan playing with a young Wesley, who was giggling shrilly as she conjured a bird from behind her back.

When she opened her eyes again, the emptiness of the room stung like the slice of a blade. Without realizing what she was doing, Morgan stood, dropping her wand onto the table beside the crystal wine glass. She closed her eyes once more and followed the memory, stepping onto the ornately decorated rug sitting in front of the fireplace, her eyes trailing over the painting, once a pinnacle of the happy life of a family, now a desolate reminder of the past she threw away. But in her mind's eye, she saw the former, a shaft of light falling across the golden embossed frame. There was a glimmer to her right, and her eyes snapped to find the source.

Beside the fireplace on either side were shelves, though these were not as packed as the bookcases on the other wall. Resting midway to the floor was a safe, though it lacked a combination lock or, in fact, and discernible method of opening it. This belonged to Adrian, but as Wesley got older, the number of potentially dangerous possessions it housed grew exponentially. As a result, Morgan had been given the charm to open it.

In the present, Morgan took a slow step to the side, her fingers trailing over the edge of the shelf, sending dust to the carpet in slender rivulets. Deluding herself into thinking the warmth of the fire was actually coming from the sunlight cascading through the window, she knelt before the safe, her fingers finding the smooth metal of the safe, cool to the touch. Her wand lay on the end table behind her, but she knew she wouldn't need it. The safe would respond to her blood and hers alone, being the sole remaining member of the house who knew its secret. Reaching up, she found the poker near the fire, just sharp enough, pricking the pale skin of her palm. Though her eyes were closed, she could feel the warm trickle of blood as it found the subtle crevices in her skin, and she pressed her hand to the safe once more, a soft murmur escaping her lips.

The surface of the metal instantly melted away, and she let her hand pass through to the hollow inside. They had charmed the space to be a separate room entirely, despite the fact that the safe itself was no bigger than a small television. Whatever object she was seeking would come to her instantly from the recesses, but at this thought, she paused. What was she looking for?

The answer came as swiftly as she posed the question. One moment, her hand was empty, searching, the next, her fingers had closed around something solid and heavy. Her brows furrowed as she withdrew her hand and found that she was holding a knife about the size of a small dagger. It seemed much too small to weigh as much as it did, and when she opened her eyes, she let out an audible gasp.

It was the most beautiful weapon Morgan had ever seen. The hilt seemed molded perfectly to her fingers, just the right size and width that she could hold it comfortably. The handle was sturdy and laced with a dark leather that seemed as if it had been made long ago, at the end of which was an encrusted emerald, glinting in the firelight. But what mesmerized her most was the blade.

It wasn't made of any metal she had ever seen before. Effervescent, the blade seemed to emanate a light of its own independent of the dim light filling the room. And, most remarkably, beneath the surface, teemed a thousand colors, a great majority of which Morgan had never seen before and wouldn't be able to name. It was truly beautiful, keeping her gaze transfixed, making her unable to turn away.

But it was more than just the sight of the knife that thrilled her so. She felt a pull somewhere deep in her naval, and she was convinced she would never again let the weapon out of her sight. A warmth trickled up her arm, spreading its mysterious strength to the far extremities of her body. In that moment, she felt as if nothing in the world would be able to harm her. She was altogether invincible and devastating, cradling the power of a hundred deaths in her suddenly fiery fingers. For the first time since Adrian's death, she felt alive.


	2. May Miracle

Chapter One

May Miracle

_On the day of Cassie's funeral, the sky was a clear, bright blue, not a single cloud in sight. It was strange, a first for my family in many ways. It was the first time, at least in my life, that anyone had died from causes that didn't involve murder, espionage, or betrayal. My great-grandmother had been sick for a long time, and it was simply her chance to escape the pain that had been ailing her. It was also the first time that we attended a funeral where it wasn't raining and dreary. It lightened the atmosphere, which I think was appropriate, because no one really begrudged the fact that it was her time to go. Her death was expected, accepted, and came as somewhat of a relief._

"Life is delicate, a daffodil daring to bloom in the dire tides of spring. Snow may batter upon the bud with destructive intentions, but the flower perseveres as a growing testament to the strength we all bear within us. At times, the temptation may fall upon us to abandon the battle and desist all efforts to continue fighting. Even more calamitous is the time when we come to realize that our loved ones no longer possess the vitality to maintain this struggle. But, as with the daffodil, we must remember to commemorate the beauty of a life full of the determined will to survive and flourish. We must exult in the glory of a life well lived, a life that touched many, incurring the love and devotion of a family supportive to the last fulfilled moment."

Alex's eulogy, despite being heartfelt, sounded much like his usual speeches at the Sorting ceremony at Hogwarts, which brought smiles to a few faces. Maddie, who showed up just in time to catch the last few sentences, actually laughed out loud, but it was a small sound, lacking any derisive feelings, and she gave a small, apologetic smile to those who glanced admonishingly her way.

The ceremony passed in a haze of bittersweet goodbyes as the warm May sun lit the grass around them, brightening the grass and the flowers laying upon the dark wood of the coffin. It was surreal, the way that nature insisted on giving the day an air of cheeriness while the matter at hand was so bleak.

"Couldn't have asked for a better day, could we?" Eli said by way of greeting as the siblings congregated together while the rest of the crowd dispersed.

"Really, Eli? The first time we've all talked in months, and the first thing you comment on is the weather?" Maddie replied, raising one eyebrow slightly. Rosie smirked, elbowing her gently.

"At least we all got here on time."

"Oi! I'm not going to apologize for having a full-time job," Maddie threw back jokingly. Rosie worked part-time for a shop in Hogsmeade, and often received comments like this from her siblings, who all had steady careers. Namely, Maddie worked for the Ministry as an Auror, Elijah played for a professional Quidditch team, and Aiden was a Healer at St. Mungo's. It was a lot to live up to, so Rosie generally refused to rise to the occasion. Besides, her husband Wesley was due for a promotion at Gringotts any day now, and she just didn't see the point of working harder than she had to.

"Yeah, yeah..." Rosie rolled her eyes and Eli threw his arm around her shoulders and squeezed, wordlessly thanking her for defending him.

"Honestly, Rose...you ought to find something to occupy your time. You're going to start going mad, being cooped up in that apartment of yours...we don't want you turning into a crazy cat lady," Aiden put in, folding his arms across his chest. Rosie paused ever so slightly, sensing an insinuation in his words, but she decided not to comment on it.

"Oh, don't be absurd. I've only got one cat--"

"So far," interjected Wesley from behind, resting his hands on her shoulders before trailing them down her arms. She turned to glare playfully up at him and found a small, slightly smug smile on his face.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm being ganged up on?"

"Because you are." Aiden smirked as Maddie looked around for Nicholas and Lucas. The children were gathered together a few yards away, answering Emma's rapid-fire questions. Apparently, being one of the only ones left behind while the rest went off to school made one quite curious.

"Suppose we ought to head over to Mum's house, then?" Eli asked, glancing around at the lot of them. Julie had taken it upon herself to invite virtually the entire family for dinner after the funeral, and of course they'd all obliged. The end result would be interesting, as even at Christmas, at least some people skipped out. They weren't completely confident that their parents' house, though it was big, was _quite_ large enough to accommodate so many people.

Twenty minutes later, twenty-five people were attempting to cram into the Scoresbys' kitchen, which had been magically expanded, but still didn't quite seem willing to fit the whole lot of them. As usual, the group was split into two parts: the adults, who didn't all fit at the kitchen table, and the children, who didn't all fit at the kid-sized table off to the side either. So Julie had opened the back door, allowing a breeze, but also access to the patio, where more seating had been arranged around a deck table.

"It was really nice of you to do this, Julie," Chris was saying in a soft undertone as Julie led food onto the tables with her wand. She glanced over, smiling warmly and resting her free hand on his arm, the gesture gentle and reassuring.

"It's nothing, honestly. It's refreshing, having a crowd to cook for again."

"Nevertheless..." Chris managed a small, grateful smile. "I appreciate it."

Their interchange was suddenly broken when Emma came pelting through the kitchen.

"Leave me alone! I saw it first!" she cried, cradling something in her hands as Lucas burst through the kitchen door after her. She spun around when she reached the door to the backyard, clutching what seemed to be a small bundle of fur to her chest protectively.

"C'mon, I just wanna see it! Just this once..." he pleaded, crossing the room to her in a few quick steps.

"No!" she shrieked, spinning on her heel once more and taking off onto the porch.

"Lucas Christopher Wright!"

Lucas, who had been about to chase after Emma, stopped dead in his tracks, his face going pale at the sound of his mother's infuriated voice. Slowly, he turned to see Maddie standing in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, looking livid and ready to pounce.

"We are at a _wake_," she hissed, advancing on him and grabbing him firmly by the arm. "Have some respect and keep your voice _down_."

"But Emma--" he began to protest, but Maddie cut him off.

"Let Uncle Aiden take care of Emma. _You're_ the older one, set a good example," she insisted, and when Lucas opened his mouth to reply, she held up a hand. "Say one more word, and I'll tell your father exactly what you did today the minute he gets home."

This was the final strike. Lucas let out his breath in a huff and pulled his arm out of his mother's grasp, turning and sulking back into the living room.

"Maddie, it's quite alright," Julie said reassuringly as Maddie stood up straight once more, sighing and brushing the hair from her eyes. She turned to see her mother smiling softly, placing a basket of freshly baked bread on the table. "We've had our fair share of children running wild in the house," she laughed softly.

Maddie rolled her eyes slightly, reaching up and pulling her hair back from her face. "Yeah, but today's different, Mum." She let her hair fall back into place. "The last thing I want is for Luke to tear up everything you've put together."

Julie smiled in response, turning and ladling gravy into a bowl. "Where _is_ Adam, anyway?"

Her daughter sighed, dropping into a seat at the end of a table. "He's been on a business trip for the past week. He thought he'd be able to make it, but his flight's been delayed and it's too far to apparate."

Julie glanced over her shoulder sympathetically, "I'm sorry to hear that, I know you miss him."

"It's not like this is the first time," Maddie bit her lip, glancing out the window. Her husband was a delegate for the Ministry of Magic and was often called off for days. It was maddening at times, especially with the house practically empty. But Maddie had plenty on her plate as an Auror. "I just hope he gets back in time to see the boys before they catch the train back to school."

"I thought I smelled delicious cooking!" Maddie glanced over to see Eli step into the kitchen, his hand on his stomach as his eyes roved the table, which was invisible beneath the copious piles of food now spread out across the surface. "'Looks amazing, Mum," he said, landing a kiss on the top of her head as he made his way to his usual seat.

Julie laughed softly, thanking him before crossing to the doorway and announcing that dinner was prepared. The rest of the family filed in, finding seats where they could, Emma, Lucas, Aiden, Rosie, Naomi, Sophie, Ezra, Landon and Claire forced to sit outside. Maddie gave up her seat to Chase and joined the porch group, slipping into a chair beside Aiden. Emma and Lucas were having an epic battle for the seat beside Rosie, until Aiden settled the fight, pulling Emma into the seat on his other side, tickling her so she giggled and gave up without protesting.

"So Ben," Lily began as she loaded her plate with food, "Isn't it about time you retired from all that Quidditch nonsense? You wouldn't believe the amount of free time Chase has got now." She punctuated her last sentence with a wry smirk. It was widely known among the family that Lily had never approved of their gaming careers, especially considering the hobby had gotten them into a fight back at Hogwarts.

Ben returned the smirk with a charming grin, glancing toward his sister. "And what does he fill that time with now?" he raised his eyebrows. "Repairing broomsticks now, isn't he?"

Lily opened her mouth to respond indignantly, but Chase cut in.

"Yes, but only while Lily's working away at her own hobby," he looked over at his wife, smiling innocently.

"They're still keeping you on long hours at the school, Mum?" Gracie asked, leaning over so that she could look at Lily. "I thought you were able to go home in the evenings."

"I _am_," Lily insisted, casting a shrewd look at Chase. "But I'm always on call, you know that."

"Haven't they given you an assistant?" asked Isaac, one of Julie's twin brothers. His wife, Mirabelle, sat on his other side, saying something in rapid French to their son Christian, who scampered back to the children's table.

"Well, yes...but I can't trust _everything_ to some fresh-out-of-med-school Healer who hasn't even served an internship at St. Mungo's."

"So you rush up to the castle every time there's an emergency?" Gracie asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes," Alex answered before Lily had the chance. Alex Scoresby was Cassie's brother-in-law and the uncle of Ben and Lily. He also happened to be the current Headmaster of Hogwarts, and knew just about everything that went on in the castle, including Lily's renegade Healer stunts. "And let me tell you, it's frustrating trying to get her to take a vacation. She's been working for me for nearly thirty years, you'd think she'd like a break now and then."

"Not our Lily," Julie said, smiling as she glanced toward her. "If she took a break from _anything_, I think the world would crumble."

"Oh, hah-hah," Lily rolled her eyes, her voice infused with sarcasm. Ben snickered, but covered it with a cough when his sister threw a glare his way.

"So Gracie," Julie began, swiftly changing the subject before food could begin sailing across the table, "Did Jude and Noah stay behind?"

Gracie looked up and nodded slightly, raising her glass to her lips. "We figured we'd need someone to keep an eye on the Galleria, and Noah stayed to keep Jude company."

Chase laughed softly and when Gracie glanced toward him curiously, he looked up at her and smiled warmly. "You're just like your mother...one day away from your job, and it would all fall apart."

Gracie shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing like that. We've got plenty of baristas who would be only too happy to take on the overtime. Jude's the one who's particular about not leaving..."

"Well, then he can miss out on Mum's cooking all he wants," Eli said teasingly, and a small uneasy silence fell over the group. Gracie looked down at her plate, clearly wanting to say something, but for whatever reason, neglecting to bring it up.

Meanwhile, Sophie was listening to Lucas reliving his shining moment of the week: teasing a neighbor girl by setting an army of frogs loose on her when she wasn't looking.

"And then they all started leaping after her when she took off down the street!" Lucas managed through his laughter while Maddie glanced toward him wryly. He felt his mother's gaze and cleared his throat, the sound dying down into giggles. "Anyway, I don't think she'll be speaking to me for a while..."

Sophie shook her head, allowing a small snicker. "I'm just glad I wasn't there, I'd've knocked the ladder away while you were in the treehouse." Lucas's eyes widened at this dash of betrayal, and he quickly fell into a brooding silence. Ezra snickered appreciatively.

"You'd do that?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Maybe," Sophie said loftily, keeping her eyes on her food. "So that's fair warning for you as well..."

Emma giggled, looking between the three of them. Aiden glanced toward her.

"Don't be getting any ideas, little lady," he warned, though there was a hint of a smile on his face. "Playing in the treehouse is dangerous as it is--"

"Oh, come on, Aiden. It's not nearly as dangerous as it was when we were kids. Or don't you remember the time the rope ladder broke and you had to save Eli and me?" she smirked, the day clear in her mind, as it was the day she had begun to hate her younger brother a little bit less. Something about near-death experiences seemed to bring the family together at times.

"Oh, I remember." Aiden glanced toward her. "And I also remember the time you went out onto the ice of the lake even though Mum _specifically_ told you not to. You know," he turned to his daughter then, "It's probably best to just not listen to your Aunt Maddie, now that I think of it."

Lucas looked up eagerly, but Maddie quickly intervened, "_You_ still have to listen to me." He sunk down into his chair, sulking once more.

Rosie laughed softly, glancing between her siblings. "At least Sophie, Lucas, and Emma aren't chasing each other around with a pair of scissors."

Maddie looked over at her and retaliated by sticking her tongue out. Sophie bit her lip, touching the ends of her hair with her fingertips. It hadn't been but a couple of weeks since she'd taken scissors to her hair herself, though admittedly it hadn't been through blackmailing that she'd made the decision. Ezra noticed the gesture and glanced toward her, nudging her gently with his shoulder. She met his gaze with a small, almost imperceptible smile.

"Anyway, I would've gotten Maggie back if I hadn't liked my hair after we cut the rest of it off," Maddie said, spearing a carrot with her fork.

"Uh huh...which explains the months of complaining after we got back from the barber's." Aiden glanced toward her derisively, and she rolled her eyes, kicking him beneath the table. Sophie looked over. The mention of her mother's name had become something she'd gotten used to after so long, but it was still weird for her to hear them hashing out old memories.

"Oh, I wasn't that bad," Maddie brushed off the comment with a wave of her hand.

"Anyway," Aiden began, taking the conversation in a new direction. "How's the new novel coming, Landon? Will we be seeing a new Sullivan hardback hitting the shelves by summer?"

Sophie's father had once worked for the Daily Prophet, where he had met his current fiancée, Claire, but had left the firm to pursue his own independent work. It was something the whole family was quite proud of, and a copy of his first book rested in each home, a testament to the fact that it was not a requirement to be a top-notch Quidditch star to be successful in the Scoresby family.

"It's...coming," Landon said after taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Of course, it doesn't help that I've got the Daily Prophet banging down the doors every night begging me to come back."

"There's a reason for that, you know," Claire put in, reaching over and taking his hand beneath the table. "It's because you're good at what you do, and everyone thinks it's a shame you're not putting your talents to use at the paper."

Landon glanced toward her and smiled softly. To be honest, he did miss the work, at least a little. But being a full-time novel writer gave him the chance to spend time at home with Sophie and Ezra, which was something on which he felt he had a lot of catching up to do. He wouldn't trade the days he spent with his daughter for anything, especially a job that caused him more stress than anything else.

Sophie glanced between them, her expression thoughtful. Her father and Ezra's mother had recently become engaged, and since that night, the dynamics in the house had changed. She couldn't quite explain it, but it felt as if the focus had shifted from two separate families of a single parent and their child into one cohesive family of four. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just different.

As Sophie opened her mouth to say something, she was cut off by the sound of a fork clattering onto a plate. Everyone at the table looked up, their gazes collectively turning to see Rosie's hand flying to her mouth.

"Rose? Are you alright?" Aiden asked, half getting up from his seat. Rosie quickly nodded, though she jumped to her feet and raced to the side of the house. A bewildered silence fell on the rest of them.

"Blimey! Auntie Rosie doesn't like the brussel sprouts either!" Lucas exclaimed, rising from his seat and leaning over to see if he could catch a glimpse of her.

"Lucas, sit down!" Maddie snapped, though she was plagued by the same curiosity. "Rosie?" she called, setting her own fork down and standing up, heading after her. In an instant, Aiden was following her lead, and only got halfway across the yard before Rosie reemerged.

"I'm fine, I'm okay," she said dismissively, making her way back to the table. "Really," she insisted, looking between the two of them. "I guess it was just the smell that got to me, that's all."

Maddie stopped mid-step, exchanging a quick glance with Aiden behind Rosie's back.

"Wait...what?" she asked, hurrying after Rosie and following her back to the table. Rosie looked back at her, furrowing her eyebrows to see such a sudden concern on her sister's face.

"I said it was the smell...I dunno why, it was nauseating. Everything tastes fine, I've just been kind of sensitive lately, I guess."

When Maddie looked over at Aiden again, he was smiling in a surreptitious way that made her certain of her suspicions.

"So..." Maddie began slowly, hovering behind her own chair as Rosie lowered herself into her seat, "This has been happening...a lot?"

Rosie shrugged. "I wouldn't say a _lot_, but...well, usually only when I'm eating in Hogsmeade, which I guess is kind of an insult to Mum's food...Maddie...why are you staring at me like that?"

"Come with me." Maddie stepped over to Rosie, pulling her from her seat with the kind of authority she usually reserved for her sons.

"What--" Rosie began, but Maddie was already tugging her toward the back door. Aiden followed them, glancing back to see Lucas shoveling brussel sprouts onto Emma's plate while she was watching the commotion.

"Mum, look at Rosie," Maddie commanded as she stopped in front of the table in the kitchen. Everyone looked up, including Julie, who looked confused and a bit startled.

"What is it, dear? What's going on?"

"Just look at her!" Maddie set her hands on Rosie's shoulders and pushed her toward the place where Julie was sitting.

"Maddie, maybe not in here," Aiden muttered under his breath, and Maddie paused, glancing back at him.

". . . Hmmm, perhaps you're right. C'mon, Mum...we need your opinion."

With that, she began dragging Rosie to the living room and after Julie followed them through, she shut the door and turned to look between Aiden, Rosie, and their mother.

"Maddie, what are you _on_ about? What's going on?" Rosie cried, looking between her siblings. They were both in on something that she was completely unaware of, and all she could think about was the fact that she'd just emptied the contents of her stomach in a spectacularly embarrassing display. But she didn't see how that had inspired anything in them. She looked at her mother, searching for some semblance of sanity.

"Mum--"

Julie's eyes roved from Rosie's face down to her toes, curiosity in her eyes, when suddenly she gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.

"Rosie..._really??!"_

Rosie furrowed her eyebrows, thoroughly confused.

"What?"

Julie stepped forward, clasping her daughter's hands in hers, her gaze simultaneously hopeful and exuberant.

"You're _pregnant_?" she exclaimed in a half-whisper. Aiden and Maddie glanced toward each other and smirked.

"_WHAT?!_"

Julie took a flustered step back, startled by the reaction.

"W-well, I thought...isn't that why--"

Rosie turned to her brother and sister, her cheeks flushed a deep red.

"YOU LOT THINK I'M _PREGNANT_?!"

There was a sudden commotion on the other side of the kitchen door. Someone choked, a glass fell to the floor, and there was a thudding as someone pounded on someone else's back. A few seconds later, Wesley burst through the door, his expression a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

"Rosie, really?!" he exclaimed, grinning broadly the moment his gaze found hers. He seemed baffled, but at the same time, unbelievably happy. She almost felt bad at having to squash his fantasy.

"No, Wesley...listen—_they_ think that. I don't know--"

"Oh come off it, Rose. You've been having morning sickness!" Maddie said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You said smells bother you, I bet your back's been aching too, hasn't it? And your b--"

"Okay, that's enough!" Rosie put up her hand, stopping Maddie before she could go any further. She shook her head, glancing between them. "You're all getting _way_ ahead of yourselves...there's no way I'm pregnant, we..." she faltered, glancing toward Wesley, obviously going over something in her mind. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her hands flew to her stomach.

"Wesley! You didn't..."

He grinned, crossing the room to her in two quick strides, reaching down and taking her hands in his. "It must've been when we took the trip to Italy...I'm sure there were times--"

"Not _now_, my family's watching!" Rosie hissed, glancing toward Maddie as she heard a snort. Wesley turned to them, keeping one of Rosie's hands in his, squeezing it gently.

"Aiden, can you...can you tell us...for certain?" he asked, enthusiasm in his voice unlike anything Rosie had ever heard from him. She glanced up at her husband and, for the first time since she'd hurled at the side of the house, she smiled.

Aiden nodded, folding his arms and grinning. "She'll have to come by St. Mungo's, of course...but I could do it after dinner if you'd like."

Wesley turned to look at Rosie again, practically beaming as he took her hands in his again.

"Well? What do you think?"

Rosie opened her mouth, though she was far too flustered to think of anything to say, unable to think, her whole world shifted on its end. Instead, she grinned, squeezing Wesley's hands and leaning up on tiptoe, pressing her lips to his in a kiss so intense, it held her overwhelming answer.

Maddie began inching toward a nearby chair, her hand outstretched as she reached for a pillow, but Aiden reached up and smacked her lightly on the back of her head.

"Hey!" she cried, straightening up again and rubbing the back of her head with her hand, giving Aiden a playful scowl. "It's not _my_ fault they're being obnoxious in front of an audience!"

"Oh, like _you_ were any better when you found out you were pregnant..." Aiden rolled his eyes, but he grinned nevertheless, looking back over at his youngest sister.

Rosie pulled away then, glancing apologetically toward the rest of them, and she couldn't help the broad grin that was slowly gracing her lips.

"Well, Mum...are you ready to be a grandmother again?"


	3. Good News Always Comes at a Price

Chapter Two

Good News Always Comes at a Price

"But I don't _want_ to go to bed," Lucas whined as, later that night, Maddie forced open the door to their flat and stepped inside. She sighed, setting her tote on the end table beside the door, propping it against the wall so her numerous files and papers wouldn't slip out onto the floor.

"I told you, Mommy has a ton of work to do, and if she doesn't have a quiet place to do it in, she's going to lose her mind."

Lucas sighed huffily, but his brother put an arm around his shoulders and gently led him toward the hallway to their rooms.

"C'mon, Lukey...let's let Mum have her privacy." Nicholas had always been the voice of reason between the two of them. Maddie wasn't quite sure how it had happened, but he seemed to have inherited Adam's innate ability to rationalize, while at the same time, he reminded her so much of herself. It was puzzling, to say the least.

"But I'm not even tired!" protested Lucas, squirming out of Nicholas's grip. He looked up at his Mum, his eyes pleading. "_Please_? Please, can I stay up—just a little longer?"

Maddie looked down at him, taking a deep breath and holding it in. She glanced toward Nicholas, who gave her a hopeless shrug. Letting her breath out in a sigh, she looked back at Lucas once more.

"Fine. But only for _one_ hour, and you've _got_ to be quiet."

Lucas grinned brightly, throwing his arms around Maddie's waist and hugging her tightly.

"Thanks, Mum!"

However, an hour later, Maddie would have been unable to enforce her rule, even if she had wanted to. She was laying across the couch, her head propped up on a throw pillow, her work spread out all around her, her eyes closed, faint snoring coming from her slightly parted lips. Lucas was curled up on the other end of the couch, taking up what little space was left between Maddie's sleeping form and the mountains of paperwork surrounding her. Nicholas had long since gone to bed, though not before using the family owl to send out a letter to his girlfriend, Amy Sanders.

Maddie fidgeted slightly in her sleep, and though her posture was restful, her mind was anything but. The dream she was having was vivid, one that she'd had many times before. It was always the same, and she dreaded it every time.

_It was humid, the noon sun beating down on the pavement all around her. She was walking down the middle of a street, searching for something with anxious intent. The scenery around her was unremarkable, but somehow she felt as if she were intimately acquainted with it. The edges of her vision shimmered like a haze, but it was all too real._

_"Maddie?"_

_The sound met her ears like a sledgehammer, and when she turned toward the speaker, she found herself looking into a mirror. Green eyes, mahogany hair, a light sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks and nose. But when Maddie inched her hand upward to touch the smooth glass she was certain was suspended strangely in the air in the middle of the street, her reflection didn't match the movement. With a sinking feeling, she realized what was going on._

_"M-Maggie?" Her own voice trembled while her sister smiled softly and shook her head as if Maddie were a small child making a naive mistake._

_"What are you doing here?" she asked, and Maddie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion._

_"I--" a shadow lingering beside a building behind Maggie drew her attention before she could answer, and she swiftly reached out, taking her sister's wrist and pulling her to the other side of the road. "I'm taking you to lunch. You need a break...I wanted to surprise you."_

_Maggie laughed, glancing toward Maddie and raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you surprise anybody—least of all me?"_

_Maddie glanced behind her as she began to walk down the sidewalk at a brisk pace, pulling her sister along. The shadow had gone, and for some reason, this caused her stomach to plummet._

_"Don't be ridiculous, it's just lunch. Besides...you seem like you want to talk. What's on your mind?" In her head, Maddie knew that these were not the kinds of things she would say to her sister, but she was fighting hard against rationality, concocting a scenario that should have happened years ago._

_"Go, Maddie..."_

_Maddie stopped, looking up at her. "What?" she asked, her voice small._

_"There's nothing you can do now...you have to go."_

_There was a pause filled with with a deafening silence as Maddie watched her sister, emotions soaring through her mind at breakneck speed. She couldn't understand why Maggie was insisting that she go. Didn't she see the danger she was in?_

_"Just trust me!" Maddie exclaimed, grabbing her sister's wrist and pulling her forward. But Maggie rested a hand on Maddie's arm and gave her a small smile._

_"I can take care of myself. You have to go now."_

_The sun went behind a cloud and all turned to darkness. Maddie heard a scream that wrenched her heart and two and she cast about in the pitch black all around, her sister's name torn from her throat as she screamed at the invisible force that she was powerless to stop._

_"NO!"_

As Maddie's heart pounded with adrenaline from the dream, she became acutely aware of a rattling at the doorknob. She sat bolt upright, files fluttering to the floor as she reached over to the coffee table and snatched up her wand. In a split second, she was on her feet, coaxing Lucas into waking up as well.

"Lucas, go to your brother's room—now!" she whispered urgently as he groaned and raised a hand, rubbing his eyes with his fist. He mumbled something, but stumbled toward the bedrooms when Maddie nudged him.

The moment he was safe in the shadows of the hallway, she spun around, her eyes fixed on the door. She slowly advanced, her wand arm outstretched, ready to curse the moment that whoever was outside came bursting through. Every muscle in her body tensed as she stopped, waiting.

Finally, the door swung forward and Maddie swiped her wand through the air with authoritative force.

"_Expelliar--_"

"Maddie, wait! It's me!"

Maddie gasped audibly, her wand slipping from her fingertips and falling to the floor with a clatter.

"Adam?!"

He grinned, and though the light from the hallway created a silhouette around his shadowed form, Maddie knew with a baffled certainty that it was him.

"Adam!" she exclaimed again, launching herself forward and throwing herself into his arms. Laughing, he caught her and stumbled backward a few steps before lifting her into the air and spinning her as she buried her face into his shoulder.

"I can't believe it! I thought you weren't coming home until tomorrow!"

Adam stopped and set her down in the doorway, his face half illuminated by the hall light as he grinned down at her. "I caught a flight to Islington and apparated the rest of the way," he explained, slipping his arms around her waist, unable to keep his grin from broadening. She was adorable, her eyes filled with delighted surprise to see him, and he suddenly realized just how long it had been since he'd last seen her. In one quick movement, he leaned down and hooked his hands beneath her legs, hoisting her up into his arms and taking several steps forward into the apartment. Maddie giggled and reached out behind him, pushing the door shut and enveloping them in darkness once more.

"You should've warned me," she said admonishingly, her hands sliding up from his shoulders to rest against his cheeks and pressing her forehead against his. "I could've prepared a bit more..." with this, she raised one eyebrow suggestively before laughing softly against his lips, giving him several quick, playful kisses.

Adam staggered to the couch and when his shins hit the edge, he fell forward, Maddie landing on the cushions below as he stretched out above her.

"Oh yeah?" He raised an eyebrow in return, propping himself up on one hand as he trailed the other down her side, lingering at her waist. "I think I like the candid Maddie, personally..." He leaned downward, trailing a line of heated kisses down the side of her neck. Maddie grinned, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer, the weight of his body against hers, the smell of his skin, the touch of his lips all inciting a passion within her that had been welling up for the entire week.

"You're terrible," she murmured jokingly, though her voice was muffled as she pressed her lips to every inch of his face that she could reach. Adam pulled away after a moment and looked down at her, one corner of his lips turning upward in a mischievous smirk.

"And you're _terribly_ intimidating when you think someone's trying to break into our home." His fingertips slipped beneath the hem of her shirt, causing her heart to do somersaults. It was no secret that Maddie enjoyed teasing Adam about whether or not he considered her intimidating, and his assenting to the idea was a sure way to get on her good side.

"Mmm," she mumbled, running her fingertips down the length of his chest before dragging them back upward slowly, pausing only once she reaches his tie. "You're just lucky I woke up..."

Adam smirked, raising his eyebrows in faint surprise. "I woke you up? Really? _That's_ never happened before..." He leaned down, pressing his lips to the exposed skin at her naval, following the movement of his hands as he led his fingertips upward across her abdomen, bringing her shirt with it.

"I was dreaming, anyway," she said as she worked his tie loose and tossed it over the back of the couch, but when he paused, she immediately wanted to withdraw what she had said.

"Maddie?" His tone had lost all playfulness now, and he pulled away to look down at her, concern filling his eyes. "Still? I thought you said you weren't having those dreams anymore..."

Maddie bit her lip, shaking her head and reaching up, taking his collar in her hands. "I'm not, I promise--" She tried pulling him down to her once more, but he remained hovering above her, his expression unconvinced.

"Madison..." He searched for her gaze, his eyes seeking the truth in hers.

"Oh, stop it," Maddie said irritably, rolling her eyes. Whatever mood had been in the air a moment previous had been demolished.

"No, I won't. You told me you weren't dreaming about Maggie anymore. You just said that so I wouldn't pester you anymore, didn't you?" This was more of a statement than an actual question, but curiosity lingered in his voice.

Maddie sighed and sat up, pushing him away as she got to her feet.

"Honestly?" she turned to look down at him, folding her arms across her chest. "Yeah! Because I knew you were going to react like this!"

"Maddie! How am I _supposed_ to react?" Adam got to his feet as well. "Clearly, something's bothering you, and I can't do anything to help if you don't tell me about it!"

She rolled her eyes again, turning away from him and leaning down to straighten her papers from work. "I don't need help, Adam. I need you to let me forget about it!"

Adam watched her for a moment before taking out his wand and pointing it at the mess she was trying to clean up. The papers rose into the air and settled in neat piles on the coffee table, making Maddie stop what she was doing and freeze, half bent over the table.

"I've been gone a week—clearly forgetting about it isn't an option."

Maddie straightened up and spun to face him, aggravation and a little bit of guilt written on her face.

"Can we just go to sleep? I've got--"

"What? You don't have work in the morning; Nicholas doesn't have to be back at Hogwarts until Sunday. You don't have an excuse to just write this off."

"How's this for an excuse?" she stepped up to him, reaching over and grabbing his jacket that he'd abandoned and crushing it into a bundle that she thrust at his chest. "I'm tired, I've been at work all day, my grandmother's _funeral_ was today, I had to deal with my entire family, and _you_ just killed the _mood._"

She promptly turned on her heel and started off toward the hallway to the bedrooms. Adam sighed and tossed the jacket back onto the couch, hurrying after her. He caught her just before she could step into the dark hallway, grabbing her gently by the arm and pulling her back toward him. She spun around, looking up at him indignantly.

"_Sleep_, Adam! I'm _t--_" He leaned forward, cutting her off by pressing his lips to hers, the touch infinitely tender and when he was certain she wasn't going to pull away, he released her arm and slipped his arms around her waist instead.

"I'm sorry," he whispered sincerely as he pulled away a moment later, resting his forehead against hers. "I wasn't trying to make you angry."

She looked up at him and raised on eyebrow, resting her hands on her hips. "Well, you weren't trying very hard," she shot back. He couldn't help but laugh softly, drawing her closer to him and when she didn't protest, his hands trailed downward, his fingertips sliding into her back pockets. She giggled, entirely unable to stop herself.

"You just did that so I wouldn't pester you anymore, didn't you?" she echoed him from earlier, mocking his voice with a vague attempt at keeping a straight face. He grinned, leaning forward and kissing her again, his teeth grazing across her bottom lip.

"Maybe..." he whispered against her lips, and he closed his eyes, for her fingertips had just found their way into the hair at the back of his head, and he'd almost forgotten how mesmerizing her touch could be. "Remind me to tell Peterson I'm not taking the week-long jobs anymore..." he muttered as he turned his lips to the underside of her jaw. His hands traced circles across her back and she took a deep breath through her nose before letting it out softly.

"And why's that?"

"Because the woman I love is far too intoxicating for me to be away for so long," he replied, pulling away and looking down at her, the mischievous grin returning. Maddie bit back a broad grin, taking his hands in hers and starting to back down the hall, pulling him along with her.

Meanwhile, Rosie sat in an examination room painted in warm, comforting colors, but the décor was doing little to settle her stomach fluttering with nerves. It was all she could do to keep her leg from bouncing nervously, or her foot from tapping annoyingly against the floor. Wesley held fast to her hand so she couldn't twist the sleeve of her jacket to shreds.

"Stop _worrying_," he whispered, leaning over and pressing his lips to her temple, his touch gentle and reassuring. When she looked up at him, he smiled, spreading her fingers with his own. "I'm sure everything's going to be fine..."

"I'm just so anxious. I want to know! My mum's got an intuition for this kind of thing, but still..." She trailed off, glancing toward the dark window to their right. She felt a little bad, keeping Aiden at St. Mungo's when he had his own family to go home to, but for some reason, she knew he didn't mind in the least.

Wesley laughed softly, letting go of her hand and wrapping his arms loosely around her instead. "Well, I love you no matter what happens."

Rosie looked back up at him. "Even if it turns out I just have some horrible stomach virus?"

"Even then," he assured her, laughing again. She grinned, leaning up and giving him a soft, short kiss just as the door opened again. They both looked up, watching as Aiden stepped inside the little room and shut the door behind him, hardly able to hold back a grin and remain stoic.

"Well, Rose...I have some terrific news, but I also have a bit of bad news..."

Rosie paused, her expression falling and her heart taking a leap. "What do you mean? What's wrong?" she pressed, and Wesley squeezed her gently, an effort to keep her calm, though his face was plagued with worry as well.

"The good news is..." he looked between them, beaming, "You're definitely pregnant."

Rosie grinned slowly, her gaze meeting Wesley's, who let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding in a sigh of relief. He leaned over, kissing her cheek, his touch lingering for a moment before he pulled away again. But she shook her head, looking back at Aiden again.

"Then what's the bad news?"

"Well..." Aiden took a deep breath and opened Rosie's chart on his lap. "You're going to have to find a new home for your cat, at least until you give birth."

Rosie furrowed her eyebrows, confused, and waited for her brother to go on.

"With a cat in the house, you're running the risk of contracting Toxoplasmosis, a disease spread by changing the litter box that can cause complications in the fetal stage. Of course, we'll have to run a blood test now just to make sure you don't already have it, and if you do, a simple course of antibiotics will ensure that the baby doesn't contract it as well. It's really not a big deal, Rosie...I just know that you and Juno are close..."

She let out her breath in a rush, laughing softly. "Well, that's okay..._she_ won't be too happy about it, but I'm sure I'll find a way to live with it."

Aiden smiled and nodded, scribbling something on her chart before closing it again and getting to his feet. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes to draw some blood, and then we can all head home." He started toward the door, but not before leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "Congratulations, Rose."

The moment the door slid shut behind her brother, Rosie turned to Wesley, excitement practically emanating from her entire being. Wesley grinned broadly, completely unable to help himself as he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers.

"We're going to be _parents_!" she whispered, taking up his hands and squeezing them.

"It's a good thing you've got prying siblings, huh?" he replied, snickering as he squeezed her hands in return. If his expression had held any semblance of joy back at Julie's house, it was nothing to how ecstatic he was now.

"Guess so..." She bit her lip playfully, looking deeply into his eyes, entirely unable to believe the dramatic turn that the day had taken.

"You're going to be a _wonderful_ mum, Rose..."

"And _you're_ going to be a wonderful dad..."

Silence fell as the two kissed, nervous excitement lingering in the air. Nothing could have prepared them for the news they had received, but it was a whole new shining horizon, one that they would charge toward head-on, confident that, no matter what, they would never fall into the same mistakes their own parents had made. It was something unspoken, but deeply understood between the both of them. They, beyond a shadow of a doubt, were going to be wonderful parents.

Late on Sunday afternoon, Nicholas was stepping inside the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts, breathing a small sigh of relief to be back among the sanity of scheduled days. In the two days that he was home, he'd begun to remember why living with his family was a bit of a pain—though he would never admit it. He was the oldest of all his cousins and was nearly always charged with the responsibility of looking after everyone else. His little brother had a tendency to make this an exceedingly difficult and exhausting task.

But now, back at school, he was just another student. There was no one to look after (if he didn't count Hannah—which he usually didn't, because she was quite capable of taking care of herself) and his only responsibility was making good marks. As stressful as classes were at times, it was undoubtedly a relief to be back.

"So, did you talk to Amy at all this weekend?" Hannah was asking as they made their way up the marble staircase. Nicholas nodded and glanced toward her.

"I sent her an owl last night and got her reply this morning. She said she has something she wants to talk to me about."

"Hmmm...I wonder what that's all about."

Nicholas took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah..." he mumbled before shaking his head and looking away. "Anyway, she said she sent you a letter, too. Apparently she, Jim, and Alice all want us to meet them in the common room?" He raised an eyebrow.

Amy Sanders was an interesting girl. Her big brother, Jim, was Nicky's best friend at Hogwarts and there was absolutely no question that they were related. Loud, obnoxious, and a bit on the tactless side, the Sanders siblings knew how to rally together a group. Alice Barry, on the other hand, was a different story entirely. Nicholas had met her on the train and despite the fact that she was shy, nervous, and a compulsive nail-biter, a friendship had sprung instantly between them. Together, they formed a group that was practically inseparable.

"You know Jim and Amy....they've probably concocted some outrageous plan that they've dragged Alice into...I wouldn't be surprised if we were swept off to Hogsmeade tonight," Hannah smirked, turning down the hall, at the end of which was the portrait of the fat lady, the entrance to their common room.

"I hope not," muttered Nicholas, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I didn't get any homework done with Lucas around."

Hannah snickered slightly. "Yeah, me neither..."

Together, they stepped into the common room after the portrait had swung open to allow them, and they were met with a tumult of commotion.

"SURPRISE!"

It was Amy who shouted the loudest, which wasn't saying much as the rest of the people gathered in the common room looked a bit as if they had been coerced into enthusiasm. She shot forward, throwing herself into Nicky's arms and kissing his cheek. He stumbled backwards, laughing as he patted her on the back.

"What's this all about? We were only gone for a weekend."

"I know, but we just couldn't wait to see you!" Amy said as she pulled away, looking between the two of them. Hannah looked stunned and a bit confused, but when she met Amy's gaze, she grinned.

"I knew you were up to something..." she looked over at Alice and Jim, who were standing a few feet apart, a chair between them. Alice had her arms folded across her chest, looking a bit as if she'd rather be somewhere else. "Let me guess, you were in on this too?"

"Only because Amy threatened sabotage if we didn't," Jim said, smirking faintly. Hannah looked around and grinned slowly—she had to hand it to Amy, she was creative. Streamers hung from the ceiling in brilliant shades of red and gold and a sign stood out across one of the walls exclaiming in blazing letters: WELCOME BACK! Music was pelting out of a small radio on the coffee table in front of the mantle, and the rest of the people Amy had convinced to greet them were turning back to their work, clearly confused as to why such an exuberant party was going on.

As she pulled away from Nicholas, Amy stepped over to Hannah and pulled her into a hug, speaking in an undertone. "We figured you could use a pick-me-up, so we knicked some stuff from the kitchens. You know...shivah, and all that."

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Shivah?"

Amy laughed softly as she stepped back. "I dunno, it's a Jewish thing."

"Clearly..."

"Anyway..." Amy glanced over her shoulder before looking back up at Hannah conspiratorially. "There's butterbeer too, but Jim's keeping it hidden until some of the people go to bed..."

"Oh, right," Hannah humored her, raising her eyebrows and laughing again. She paused when she glanced in Jim and Alice's direction before looking back at Amy. "Is something going on between them? They don't look very happy..."

"Hmm?" Amy glanced over her shoulder at her brother and bit her lip. When she returned her gaze to Hannah, she squirmed uncomfortably. "Oh, I dunno. But you know them...it's not a good day unless they're fighting about something."

Hannah watched her closely, feeling as if she were missing something, but before she could pry further, Amy had spun around and exclaimed, "Okay! Who's ready to dance?!"

The night passed by in a blur as, one by one, Amy convinced everyone to dance to the cheesy pop music blaring from the radio. They laughed, ate, and talked, Amy recounting everything that had gone on over the weekend while Nicholas and Hannah were gone. Jim and Alice seemed to be having an ongoing argument under their breath as the night progressed, but no one paid them much attention. At least, not until Alice stood up during a particularly vibrant dance number Amy was making Hannah take part in.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to get used to it, then," she snapped, turning on her heel and storming toward the portrait hole. Everyone stopped and watched as Jim jumped up and hurried after her.

"Alice—wait! We need to talk about this!"

"There's nothing to talk about!" Alice threw back at him, turning to glare up at him. "You've made your decision, and I'm just going to have to deal with it!" Before he could reply, she spun around again and pushed the portrait open, flying out into the hallway. Jim chased after her, but his words were lost in the music.

After a moment's silence in which Celestina Warbeck held on to a painfully high note, Nicholas turned to Amy.

"What's going on? Is everything okay between them?"

Hannah looked over curiously, and was surprised when Amy leaned over, switching off the radio before raising her hand to her mouth. Her fingers swept over her lips as she debated what to say before she reached out and took his Nicholas's hand.

"C'mon...I need to talk to you about something." Taking a deep breath, she looked up at Hannah and put on the best grin she could muster. "Can you hold down the fort for a bit? We'll only take a minute..."

Hannah blinked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Erm...okay..." She watched as Amy turned away, gently leading Nicky out the way Alice and Jim had gone, her mind reeling. Why was she being so secretive? What could she have to tell Nicholas that she couldn't also share with her? Hannah sank down onto the couch, visibly hurt that she wasn't being confided in. It felt like everyone else was involved in some big plot, and she was the only one to be left out.

Nicholas stopped Amy after she'd led him down several corridors, seeming to make up her mind as she went, not quite clear on where they would end up.

"Amy, what is it?" he asked in a soft, gently prying voice as he reached over and took her hand. She stopped, but didn't turn to him, instead reaching up and running her fingers through her hair. Nicky watched her for a moment before resting his other hand against her jaw, softly turning her face to look up at him. "You can tell me..." he whispered, the only sound in the empty hallway aside from their breathing.

Amy looked into his eyes for several moments, biting her lip anxiously. Finally, she took a deep breath and turned to him fully, reaching out and taking his other hand in hers. "Okay, look...I don't want you to go jumping to conclusions before I've finished telling you, okay? Just promise me you won't react until I've said everything."

Nicky watched her, his mind already jumping to conclusions, and he had a faint idea of what she was about to say, but he had no way of knowing. He nodded, preparing himself for the worst.

"Jim and I..." she began, talking slowly, carefully choosing her words. "Our parents...they're taking us to Africa--"

"Amy, that's gr--"

"--in the fall." There was a long silence. Amy turned her gaze to the ground, her hair falling into her face as she worked up the courage to keep speaking. She couldn't bear to look up and see the look on his face.

"My mother's got some sort of job in Botswana...but they...want us to come with them. And go to school there....for the year." As she watched Nicky's expression fall, she began to talk very quickly, reaching up and resting one hand on his cheek and the other on his arm, her touch frantically comforting. "I know this is bloody awful timing, but we just found out this weekend. I didn't want to _not_ tell you and lead you on. And I kinda figured...well, Alice and Jim are pretty much openly fighting about it, so if you didn't hear it from me, you'd suspect something was up with them. And I really did want you to hear it from me first...Nicky..." He had looked away, so she cocked her head, searching for his gaze. When he looked at her again, her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm _really_ sorry. I _am_."

He shook his head, making a valiant attempt at a smile. "It isn't your fault..." even as his heart sank, he kept his words light and at least somewhat reassuring. "It's _not_...and I understand, my dad goes on business trips all the time."

"But this isn't just some week-long thing!" Her voice was becoming panicked now. "Nicholas, this is all _year_...we won't see each other until next summer--"

"Then we'll wait 'till next summer. It's okay," he reached up, resting his hand against her cheek, brushing his thumb across the surface tenderly. "Honestly, we'll make it work..."

"But how?" Amy looked close to tears, shaking her head slightly. "We're not going to see each other...and I dunno if I'll be able to visit, and I can't just write letters to you..."

"Why not? My aunt Rosie had a boyfriend who was gone more than he was with her, and they're married now. Things like this happen, Amy. But that doesn't mean we can't make it through..." But as he spoke, his voice began to quaver, unsure whether or not what he was saying was entirely true. He'd heard the stories; he knew how lonely Rosie had gotten, how depressed she was to be away from Wesley. "It's not going to be easy--"

"It's _not_ easy!" Amy cried, pulling away and throwing her hands up in dismay. "And it's not _fair_." She balled her hands into fists. "I knew this was going to happen, I knew they'd give me a year to get settled and happy with everything, and then they'd just go and rip it to shreds. They did it to Jim, I should've known they'd do it to me." She turned away from him, letting her breath out in a short burst as she covered her face with her hand.

Nicholas took a step forward, resting his hands on her shoulders consolingly. "You're not Jim..."

"I know I'm not!" she threw over her shoulder impatiently. "It's easy for him, he doesn't even get along with Alice."

"Sure he does..." Nicky bit his lip. "We just...happen to see more of the fights than the good moments."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh, _whatever_...the point is--" she turned to look at him again, her cheeks stained with angry tears, "I care about you, Nicky....probably more than I've ever cared about anyone else...ever. I don't want...I don't want to leave you..."

Nicholas took a deep breath and held it in for several moments. He remembered the day at Hogsmeade, when she had grabbed him and dragged him behind a display at Honeydukes, kissing him for the first time. He remembered the fear in her eyes, the constant worry that they wouldn't have enough time together. But he never imagined that the day would come when she would actually have to go. It was all so hypothetical then, a dangerous "maybe" that made them appreciate things just a little bit more than they might have otherwise. Finally, he let his breath out in a sigh and took a step forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

"It's not forever," he whispered gently as he kissed the top of her head, reaching up and running his fingers over her hair. He felt her body tremble as she sobbed into his shoulder, unable to respond but for the quiet sounds of her crying. For a long while, they stood like this, Nicholas holding onto the first girl he'd truly cared about, comforting her as she tried to apologize again and again. But there was nothing either of them could do, and for the first time, he was at a loss for words.

The walk back to the common room was uncomfortably quiet. Though they strode hand in hand, something had changed between them. Neither spoke until it was time to say the password, when they both opened their mouths at the same time. After exchanging a quick glance, Amy turned away again and Nicholas mumbled, "Lacewing flies..."

As they stepped inside, they were both surprised to find Hannah slumped on the couch, her arms folded across her chest. The music was still playing, but she'd turned it down to a nearly inaudible murmur, and the once cheerful scene seemed abysmal now that everyone had dispersed. Amy sighed, letting go of Nicholas's hand and drawing her wand to begin cleaning things up.

"Have Jim and Alice come back yet?" Nicky asked as he plopped down on the couch beside his cousin, who kept her gaze on the fireplace and merely raised her eyebrows slightly as she spoke.

"Nope. They're going to be locked out if the fat lady leaves after midnight..." Indifference invaded her voice, and Nicky glanced toward her curiously.

"Hannah, is everything--"

"I think I'm going to go to bed," she said shortly, cutting him off as she stood up, arms still resolutely folded. Amy paused in the middle of guiding the banner down from the wall, glancing over her shoulder. She watched as Hannah stepped around the couch and deliberately crossed the common room to the stairs leading to the dormitories. Amy bit her lip, looking over at Nicholas on the couch.

"Could you..."

"I'll wait for them." Nicky sighed, pushing himself up off the couch. "And I'll finish up here," he said, drawing his wand. "You go on..."

Amy smiled appreciatively, but it was a half-hearted gesture, and she felt weird stepping around him without giving him at least a quick peck on the cheek. But she hurried to the stairs, longing to avoid the awkward silence, and began up them as quickly as she could go. When she opened the door to her dormitory, the lights were out and the fireplace was the only source of light, the fire dim and small as the weather outside was warm. She glanced around, spotting movement at the bed next to hers, and after hesitating for only a moment, she began to cross the room.

"Hannah?" The movement stopped for just a second before Hannah crawled into bed, drawing the hangings closed just as Amy made it to her bed side. "Hannah, I _know_ you're not asleep. And I know that something's bothering you..."

"You didn't share what was bothering you, so why should I give you that?"

Amy sighed, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again and reaching up, wrenching apart the curtains.

"Because you're my best friend and I owe you an apology." She looked down at her, and though Hannah was on her side, turned away, she caught her rolling her eyes. "Hey, I _saw_ that..." Amy smirked, letting go of the curtains and resting her hands against the bed. She crawled up onto the mattress, snuggling up next to Hannah and putting her head on her pillow. "And I'm not leaving until you talk to me..."

Hannah sighed, pulling her blanket up to her chin and clutching it tightly. "Just go away, Amy. I'm tired, and I don't want to talk. An obviously, neither do you."

Amy bit her lip and watched the girl in front of her, thinking deeply before she opened her mouth to speak again.

"Hannah, I get it...I should've told you. I'm sorry. But I didn't want to say anything at the party, and I--"

"You had no problem telling Nicky at the party."

"That's because he saw Alice and Jim fighting--"

"I saw them too."

"Hannah, I'm _dating_ him. He needed to know..."

"Oh, and _I_ didn't?" Hannah asked incredulously, turning over and sitting up, looking down at Amy.

"Okay, wait...that came out wrong..."

"No, it didn't. It came out just right, Amy. Clearly I'm not a priority to you..."

"Yes you _are_!" Amy insisted, her voice pleading her to understand as she sat up as well, crossing her legs beneath her. "I was going to tell you first thing in the morning—I didn't want you to have to hear before you went to sleep!"

"Hear _what_? You still haven't enlightened me on just what's going on with you..."

Amy paused, letting her breath out in a sigh as she looked down. "I _really_ didn't want to tell anyone until tomorrow...I shouldn't've said anything to Nicky, even, because now things are weird between us and it's all bloody ruined..."

Hannah bit her lip, watching her best friend closely, her expression softening. "What's ruined?" she asked in a whisper, her tone losing its accusing edge. Amy picked at a loose string in Hannah's comforter, unable to look up at her.

"Jim and I are leaving after this school year..."

"What?" Hannah asked, her tone a mixture between incredulity and disappointment.

"We're going to Africa...with our parents. We have to go to school there while my mum does her ruddy stupid job..." She ripped the thread from the comforter spitefully, wrapping it around the tip of her finger until her skin turned purple.

Hannah reached over, resting her hand on top of Amy's, gently pulling away the string. "For how long?" she whispered, searching for her gaze. At Hannah's touch, Amy looked up, watching her for a few moments before responding, feeling the tears beginning to crop up again.

"Until next summer at least...and who knows? We could get shipped off somewhere else by then. I didn't want to tell Nicky, but honestly..." she shook her head, "...I have no _idea_ when we're coming back. I know Jim's got to graduate from somewhere, and the easiest way to do that would be to come back here, but he's only going into his fifth year. It could be two years before I see you guys again!"

Hannah bit her lip, her stomach twisting at the thought of losing her best friend, the one she confided in for everything, the one she'd spent endless nights with in their dorm, staying up late talking and giggling. She hadn't the faintest clue what she would do if Amy really was gone. She wasn't nearly as close to any of the other girls in their dormitory.

"Well, maybe...can you visit sometimes?"

Amy shrugged, looking down at her lap again. "I don't know...I really don't."

"But you can still write, can't you?"

"I guess...but I dunno, I've never been the best penpal..."

"Then what's a better time to learn than now?" Hannah said cheerfully, patting Amy's knee and causing her to look up at her again. "We'll write letters," she concluded decisively. Amy raised an eyebrow.

"We will?"

"Of course! I'm not going to go two years without _ever_ talking to my best friend. Do you know how weird that would be? Come on, it'll be fun! We can send each other things...you can teach me all about the weird kind of magic they use in Africa...it'll be great."

"I'm not sure..." Amy said uneasily, finding another loose string in Hannah's comforter.

"Stop that, you're going to unravel the whole thing," Hannah said, reaching over and taking Amy's hand. She took it in both of her own and squeezed it reassuringly. "It's going to be tons of fun! You'll get up to so many crazy things over there, you won't even be thinking about us. Until you write, of course. Which you're going to do...a lot."

Amy smirked, looking up at her and raising an eyebrow. "And if I don't?"

"Well then, I'll just have to make my Uncle Adam track you down. He works for the Ministry, you know...."

"Oh, and what...he's going to _force_ me to write to you?"

"Come _on_, Amy! Don't you _want_ to stay in contact? You'll be maddeningly bored if you don't..."

"I thought you just said I was going to forget all about you..."

"I'm changing tactics here, keep up."

Amy laughed, and Hannah grinned, relieved that she'd gotten Amy to stop feeling so guilty and acting secretive. Though the news was bad, it wasn't unbearable, and she was much better off knowing what it was than skirting around the issue until it was time for them to leave.

"Seriously," Hannah said, looking into Amy's eyes. "We'll make it work. Long-distance relationships are crap, but long-distance friendships...those are far from impossible."

"Yeah?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Erm...duh. Because we're girls!"

The two of them laughed, falling back onto the bed and looking up at the canopy above. After several moments, the laughter subsided into small giggles, and Amy reached up, tucking one arm beneath her head.

"You know...maybe this is a good thing..."

Hannah looked over at her curiously. "Hmm?"

"I mean...what were the chances of us talking over the summer anyway? We're always so busy with family stuff...this just gives us a reason to talk more."

Hannah grinned, but didn't respond.

"And who knows? Maybe I'll find some cute African boy, and I'll tell him all about my pretty friend Hannah with long blonde hair who's just _dying_ to get some culture in her life..."

Hannah laughed, curling up on her side and burying her face in her pillow. "Oh Amy, _don't!_" she cried, her cheeks flushing, though she continued to giggle.

"Oh, I'm going to....you better be prepared. His name'll be Sanje, and he'll be absolutely delighted to meet you. Maybe I'll even find one who speaks French...does French make you happy?"

Hannah wrinkled her nose, raising her head from her pillow. "I dunno, my grandma's sister-in-law speaks French..."

"And?"

"And...I _guess_ it's kind of exciting..."

"Oh, well...in that case..." Amy leaned forward, whispering in Hannah's ear, "_A__près moi, le déluge._.."

Hannah snorted, leaning away from her and raising an eyebrow. "What does _that_ mean?"

"Louis XV of France said it...it means 'after me, the deluge'...which...don't ask me what _that_ means. Even if it is in English, I don't have a damn clue..."

Hannah laughed again, reaching over and giving her a gentle nudge. "Go to bed...we've got class in the morning."

Amy rolled her eyes and let out a mockingly begrudged sigh. "Oh, _fine_..." She rolled over, slipping out of Hannah's bed and casting a glance over her shoulder at her, raising an eyebrow. "But you should really sleep on that African boy idea..."

"Go!" Hannah kicked at her, giggling, and Amy grinned, jumping out of the way and leaping onto her own bed.

"G'night, Hannah..." she said after she'd pulled on her pajamas and snuggled under the covers. Hannah rolled over, curling up in the spot Amy had vacated.

"Goodnight, Amy..."


	4. Little Pink Ribbons

Chapter Three

Little Pink Ribbons

Two months into the summer, it was early August and the leaves were a crisp orange, clinging to the branches as a last resort. Hannah sat amongst a cloud of cream chiffon, pinning together the last of a pile of decorations she had been working on all morning. Molly, her mother, went shuffling past, carrying a teetering pile of china and casting a sideways glance toward the living room as she placed it all on the dining table.

"Oh Hannah, thank you for finishing those," she said in a rush, digging her wand out of her pocket and leading the china to the places at the table. "If you girls want, there are some extra cookies on the counter I made for taste-testing. Tell me if you like them," she finished with a grin.

Hannah looked over at Amy, who was sitting on the floor beside the couch, nearly buried in the chiffon. They shared a slow smile before getting to their feet and hurrying into the kitchen.

"So when is everyone supposed to show up?" Amy asked as she took a cookie shaped like a pacifier from the plate.

Hannah shrugged, taking her own cookie, this one shaped like a bottle, and biting into it. "My aunt Rosie thinks she's coming over so Aiden can give her a routine checkup. The timeframe's kinda shady, so I don't know when people are going to start coming in..."

Amy bit her lip and glanced around the kitchen before leaning against the counter and nudging the linoleum with her toe. Hannah watched her as she chewed, brushing her hand on her jeans when her cookie was gone and folding her arms.

"Have you talked to Nick lately?"

Amy took a deep breath and held it in for a moment before letting it out in a sigh and looking up. She shook her head, looking a bit ashamed. "No...not since the fight."

"What happened, anyway? He never usually fights with people..." Hannah reached over, picking up a hand towel from the counter and folding it neatly before setting it down again. The kitchen was a bit of a disaster area, as her mother had spent the entire morning cooking.

"Well, I mean...to tell you the truth, it was mostly me who did the fighting." She bit her lip, glancing around the room again. "He just sort of...listened. I feel bad, leaving it on such a horrid note..."

"You should try talking to him again. I know he wouldn't be opposed..."

"Well, it's gonna be a bit unavoidable, don't you think?"

"How so?" Hannah asked, reaching over and taking another cookie. Amy sighed.

"The party..."

"Oh..." Hannah laughed slightly. "Yeah, I guess it'll be a little awkward since you'll both be here...but I dunno, baby showers aren't really for guys, are they? The boys will probably go outside...you know, Nicky, Lukey, and Ezra are pretty inseparable when they get together."

"So...you'll stay inside with me, then?" Amy looked up at her hopefully, giving her a cocked grin.

Hannah laughed softly again, handing Amy a cookie. "Sure, why not?"

"I just don't understand why Aiden can't come here," Rosie was saying with a sigh as she pushed herself off her bed with a bit of effort. She was nearly six months pregnant, and it was rather obvious.

"Because you've already made it a tradition to go to their house...why stop now?" Wesley smiled softly as he stepped over to her side of the bed, leaning down and planting a kiss on the top of her head.

Rosie stood in front of the full-length mirror, pulling her shirt self-consciously over her mountainous belly. "But surely all this apparition can't be good for the baby..."

"Well, neither was going all the way to the United States right before going into labor, but your sister had her baby with no complications." He sat down on the edge of the bed and watched her for several moments, his smile spreading into a grin. Everything had happened so fast since Aiden told them they were expecting, and he fought to catch every moment of it. He had the faint suspicion that his boss was getting tired of him cutting out of work early just to hurry home to see his wife, but no one dared question him.

"That's Maddie. And Maddie never listens to reason." She turned to look at him and folded her arms across the top of her belly. "Besides, I'm tired...I've been working on the nursery all day, and I only had time to sleep just before you came home..."

She trailed off as Wesley rose and stepped over to her, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Now you're just making excuses," he whispered, grinning as he kissed her forehead. He trailed his hands down the sides of her arms and gently pried them apart, taking her hands into his. "You're going to be just fine...I promise. Ten minutes at Aiden's house, and we're back home for the night." As he spoke, he methodically kissed the side of her cheek, the bridge of her nose, and her chin, every touch light and convincing.

Rosie paused and pulled away slightly to look up at him, narrowing her eyes.

"You're hiding something."

Wesley took a step back, laughing and looking down at her, but the sound faltered when he saw her expression. "What? No I'm not—of course I'm not. What would I have to hide?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out..." Rosie said, taking a threatening step toward him and raising her hand, pointing a finger at him accusingly. "You're planning something, and you're going to tell me what it is..."

"Rosie, I'm sure I don't--"

"One..."

"Rose!" Wesley stepped backwards, but stumbled on a pair of his own shoes, catching himself on the dresser before he could fall.

"Two..." Rosie advanced closer, pinning him against the dresser with the weight of her overly large stomach. He squirmed, but she kept him firmly in place.

"Rosie, really, I don't know anything..." His voice was almost a whimper, but he was faced with an enormously formidable enemy: his pregnant wife.

"Hmmm..." Rosie watched him, scrutinizing him for several moments before she turned on her heel and quickly strode out of the room. Wesley paused, baffled as he watched her make her escape. After a few seconds, he gathered his wits.

"Hey! Come back!"

When he chased her into the living room, he found that she was picking up the phone from the receiver and dialing a number with quick, automatic movements. "Who are you calling?" he demanded, crossing the room to her, but she danced out of his reach, extending her arm to keep him from grabbing the phone away from her.

"Rosie, who are--" he began, but she shushed him just in time to answer.

"Hello, Molly! Is Aiden there? I'd like to ask him something..."

Wesley froze, one arm reaching out to take the phone, and a leg held out to keep his balance. His eyes widened and he listened hard for the voice on the other line.

"_Oh! Rosie! Hi! No, he's...he's stepped out for just a moment, but I'm sure he'll be back in time to see you."_

"Yeah, about that...listen, Molly, I think there's been a slight change in plans. Why don't you send Aiden to my place instead? We've got a lot going on here, you see..." Rosie looked over at Wesley as she spoke, and there was a broad silence in which he watched her warily.

"_Oh...erm...are you sure? Because I really think that Aiden wants to see you here. You know...where he keeps all his things..."_

"Well, he carries about a stethoscope anyway...what more could he possibly need?" Rosie's voice held such an air of innocence, that it was perfectly obvious she was manipulating the conversation. Another silence filled a moment or two before Molly spoke again.

_"Actually, he's terribly busy. He can't afford to make a trip all the way to your house and get back to his ward in time..."_

"Yes, I hear apparition is quite slow these days...more and more people are using broomsticks." The sarcasm in her voice obviously stumped Molly, because she took a pause before responding again.

_"Rosie, who have you talked to? Did Wesley say--_"

Molly was cut off and there was a rustling on the other end of the line as the phone changed hands. Suddenly, Rosie heard her brother's voice.

_"Rosie? It's Aiden. Just go on and stay where you are and I'll stop by to see you on my way home from work."_

She grinned and glanced toward Wesley, her expression triumphant.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to _inconvenience_ you..."

_". . ._" there was a sigh, _"I'm sure."_ A click, and the line went dead.

Rosie never took her gaze from Wesley as she pressed the 'end' button on the phone and set it down on the receiver.

"I suppose that's it then..."

Wesley watched her as he slowly set his foot on the ground. "That's...what?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"I'm going." With that, she turned and headed back toward the bedroom. Wesley's eyes widened and he dove for the phone, scooping it up and quickly hitting 'redial.' He tapped his foot anxiously as he waited for someone to pick up, his eyes on the door to the bedroom, which closed behind Rosie with a snap.

"Molly?" he asked as soon as he heard a voice on the other line. This time, there was a jumble of background noise. She must have cast a silencing spell on the room before answering last—it made Wesley smile, if only fleetingly.

"Wesley?" Molly's voice seemed a bit flustered, and a child screamed in the background, followed by Maddie's chiding voice.

"She changed her mind—she's on her way now. I think she's only stopped to put on shoes," he said quickly, covering the mouthpiece and his own mouth with his hand as he kept an eye on the door.

"We know. Aiden's still here, it was Maddie's idea."

Wesley grinned slowly, relieved that the surprise wasn't blown, but before he could say goodbye, the door to the bedroom opened again and he slammed the phone down onto the receiver before assuming a demeanor of perfect innocence.

"Ready to go?" asked Rosie as she crossed the room, picking up her purse by the door before grabbing her wand. Wesley cleared his throat and glanced around quickly before looking back at her.

"Of course, dear." He took their jackets down from the coat rack and threw them over his arm before meeting her at the door and taking her hand. "And since you're so worried, we'll only do Side-Along.." he said, though Rosie couldn't help but get the feeling he was only proposing this so she wouldn't run off somewhere else. Regardless, she grinned and kept silent as they apparated, disappearing with a small _pop_!

When they arrived on the front stoop of Aiden and Molly's country cottage, Wesley was relieved to hear that the same commotion that had been on the phone had been shushed, and everything beyond the front door was silent. Rosie glanced toward him and raised an eyebrow.

"What's that face for?"

Wesley looked over at her and shook his head. "I don't have the faintest clue what you're on about..." With that, he reached forward, taking hold of the doorknob and smiling as he looked back at Rosie. "Just promise not to hit me..."

"Hit you? Why would I--"

But the moment he opened the door, she understood.

"SURPRISE!"

Nearly her entire family called out to her, filling Aiden and Molly's living room with whatever space was left between elaborate decorations that lined the walls. Persephone, Molly's golden retriever, barked from the front of the group, wagging her tail excitedly. Rosie laughed, astounded at the sight in front of her, and she looked up at Wesley.

"Oh, I'm going to get you later..." she said, but before Wesley could respond, Maddie stepped forward, pulling her sister into the house.

"You know, you're a bloody hassle to throw a surprise party for..." she laughed, leading Rosie to a chair that was extravagantly decorated with streamers and pastel-colored balloons. A mountain of gifts covered the coffee table, some of which were conspicuously wrapped to look like the thing inside. A stroller stood out obviously in the midst, as well as something that had to be a play pen. These, Rosie suspected, probably came from her sister. One box sat at the very edge of the coffee table, small, white, and covered in tidy little pink ribbons.

"Yes, well, you can blame Wesley for acting suspicious..."

Wesley's eyes widened innocently and he threw up his hands protectively. "I didn't say anything!"

"Your actions speak louder than words, love."

"C'mon Rosie," Aiden said, reaching over and grabbing a box from the table, "Just smile and open your presents."

Rosie laughed, grinning as she looked over at her brother. "Oh, _fine..._"

Suddenly, there was a scream from the hallway and Emma came pelting into the living room. "Get out, Lucas! Get out, get out, get _OUT!"_

Instinctively, Maddie turned to see what was going on and saw Emma leap behind an armchair and crouch down. Lucas followed in hot pursuit, something slithering and dark in his hands. Emma screamed again and ran to clutch Aiden around the middle, clinging to him.

"Daddy, make him stop!"

But before Aiden could move a muscle, Maddie had grabbed Lucas' arm and pulled him backwards. "What did I tell you about bringing animals into the house? And for goodness' sake, that counts for _other_ people's houses too! Now go, take that back and put it where you found it." Maddie sighed and turned to look at Nicky. "Nicholas, why don't you go and make sure that he lets it go and _leaves_ it?"

Lucas sighed grumpily; whatever chance he'd had of keeping the snake was now long gone.

Molly bit her lip and glanced toward Hannah, who was standing beside her. She leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Why don't you take Emma outside until she calms down?"

Nodding, Hannah glanced toward Amy, who was standing at the complete opposite side of the room as Nicky and she, too, bit her lip. She crossed to Amy, grabbing her arm gently and mumbling, "Hey...I have to go outside...do you want to come?"

Amy glanced up at her before looking over and watching as Nicholas led Lucas out the back door. She sighed softly and looked back up at Hannah, shrugging. "Sure..."

"Come on, Emma...let's go outside and let the grown-ups talk," she said, holding out her hand for her to hold. Looking up, Emma sniffled and wiped her nose with her sleeve before dislodging from Aiden and joining the two girls. She took Hannah's hand, and the three of them stepped outside onto the front veranda.

The sun was setting behind the rolling hills, but the shadow of storm clouds was beginning to fester on the horizon, sure to reach the house within the hour. Together, the girls started off through the garden, and when Hannah opened the gate, they filed out onto the dirt road that led in one direction led toward a small village, and in the other, a path through the woods surrounding the cottage. Hannah began down the latter, glancing back around the side of the house to see if she could spot the boys.

"Hannah, can you curse Lukey for me?" Emma asked, looking up at her big sister as they walked. "Because he's really getting on my nerves!"

Hannah laughed softly, patting Emma on the shoulder. "'Fraid not, Em...I'm not allowed to use magic outside of school."

"But...but just this once!" she whined, steepling her hands and pleading. "Just one teeny tiny spell...I promise I won't tell!"

Amy glanced over at her and smirked. "You could always get him back by putting a snake in his bed the next time you guys spend the night at your grandmum's..."

Emma gasped, her eyes going wide. "No way! Nuh uh! I'm afraid of snakes!"

"Well then, you're just going to have to toughen up, aren't you?" Amy nudged her with her elbow, snickering slightly. Hannah sighed.

"_Or_ you could be the bigger person and just let it go. You know, there _is_ such a thing as karma, and Lucas is going to get it in the end..."

Emma looked up at Amy, her eyebrows raised, as if to say, _Are you hearing this? My sister's crazy!_ Amy laughed, smiling at her sympathetically.

"Anyway...what would Daddy say if I told him you were asking me to hex your cousin? I don't think he'd let you play down by the creek anymore, that's for sure..."

Emma gasped, looking up at her sister, scandalized. "You wouldn't!"

Hannah hummed and continued forward, her nose held in the air. But Amy had stopped, her gaze turned back over her shoulder, her expression falling.

"Guys...I think we're being followed..."

"Huh?" Hannah turned around, looking back down the road the way they had come, pausing when she saw two figures heading toward them. "Oh..._bugger_...Amy, I'm sorry. I know you didn't want--"

"It's okay...really, I mean...I couldn't've avoided him the whole time..." she sighed, somehow wishing she had. But Nicky and Lucas were quickly gaining on them, and there was nowhere for her to go but into the woods, and she didn't exactly trust that she'd be able to find her way back.

"Go away, Lucas! Nobody wants you here!" Emma spat angrily, folding her arms across her chest.

"Emma, be nice..." Hannah laughed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Lucas scowled and stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation.

Nicholas smirked, glancing between them before looking up at Hannah and Amy. "So, where are you three headed?" His gaze lingered a beat longer on Amy than on his cousin, causing her to avert her gaze to the ground.

"I dunno...I was thinking of taking them to the creek--"

Emma gasped, looking up at her excitedly.

"--But I think there's a storm coming in, and we might not make it back in time..."

Nicholas shrugged. "It's worth a shot, isn't it?"

Hannah paused, glancing between Amy and Nicky, feeling the tension rising between them. "I guess..."

With that, the five of them began down the dirt road once more. Thunder rolled in the distance, but the clouds were still a good couple of miles away, rain already beating down on the village. Electricity danced in the air, and a breeze picked up that tugged at their jackets.

Lucas and Emma walked at the front of the group, though they kept to opposite sides of the road, while an uncomfortable silence settled between the three at the back. No one said anything until they reached a small brook bustling with clear, chilled water. Even the birds were quiet, sensing the rising tension all around.

"Well...we're here..." Hannah said, rather uneventfully, and the silence fell again. Emma was delighted, running down to the water's edge and picking up a large, soggy stick. Lucas paused, glancing toward her, a slow, evil grin crossing his lips.

"Lucas! Don't even think about it. I'm watching you..." Hannah chided in perfect concordance with his mother's sternness. Nicky looked between the lot of them, taking a deep breath and holding it in for a moment before making up his mind. He stepped over to Amy and rested a hand on her arm.

"Hey...I think Hannah can handle them...do you want to keep walking?"

Amy looked up, nerves causing butterflies to flutter in her stomach, not an entirely pleasant feeling. She bit her lip and shrugged noncommittally, letting herself be led onto a path leading along the creek.

"So..." Nicky started as they walked, a couple of inches between them, Amy's hands shoved firmly in the pocket of her hoodie. "Have you gotten everything packed to go?"

Amy inwardly winced at his words, but forced herself to answer. "Just about..." her voice came out small, and was nearly carried away by the wind, which was picking up, pulling the storm closer.

"I bet it's weird....having to pack for warm weather, even though you're going to be there during the winter." He winced...he was talking about the weather.

Amy gave a short, hollow laugh, trying to give the sound feeling, but it just wasn't working. "Yeah..."

Nicholas paused, looking over at her. When he saw the uncomfortable expression on her face, he sighed, stopping completely. "Amy..."

She stopped too, but didn't look at him, instead finding a patch of dirt on the ground to be immensely interesting.

He waited for a moment before stepping over to her, resting a hand lightly against her cheek. "Amy...I really feel bad for the way things ended the other day..."

She let her breath out in a rush, feeling his gaze, but refusing to meet it. She didn't want to do this—she was finished. As far as she could see, they were through the night they'd fought.

"And...I'm sorry..." he said softly, brushing his thumb across the surface of her cheek. She'd had enough.

"Stop it!" she cried, batting his hand away. "Just stop it, okay? Don't apologize—I hate it when you apologize!"

"I'm s—"  
"Don't!" she raised a finger warningly, glaring up at him. "I can't keep doing this. Ever since I told you I was going away, it's been nothing but fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! And I've had enough! Just let me go to Africa in one piece, okay?"

"I was going to say..." he began again, and Amy fell silent, looking up at him. "I'm surprised we got through waiting for Rosie without fighting..." he said with a small, wry smile. He sighed softly and slipped his hands into his pockets. "I don't want to fight with you, Amy...I want you to be happy."

She watched him, stunned into silence.

"And if that means having to take a break while you're in Africa...okay. That's fine...I just want you to know..." He paused, and she took a step closer to him, watching him closely.

"What?" she asked, her voice gentle, her whole demeanor softening. When he looked down at her again, he shook his head.

"Do you want to go back? It's probably going to rain soon..."

Amy watched him for several moments, the anger she'd felt a moment ago bubbling to the surface once more. "Dammit, Nicky! Say what you want to say! For once in your life, let go and actually spit it out! You're always so kind and conscientious—but what do _you_ want? What would make you happy?"

He shook his head again. "Amy, forget it...I'm not going to talk to you when you're like this..." He turned, starting back down the trail.

"No!" She hurried forward, grabbing his arm and turning him around to face him again. "Say it! You want to—say it!"

"Amy..."

"I want you to say it! It would make me..." she cast about for the right word, "--_ecstatic_ if you just freakin' SAY IT!"

"I love you! Okay? I love you, Amy. That's it." He reached out and grabbed her arms, his touch firm but not unkind. "I love you, and if I have to work to stay with you, then I will. I don't care if I can't see you for a year—I _care_ about you, dammit."

Amy froze, her eyes wide, the color draining from her face. Nicholas was breathing quickly, his cheeks flushing slightly with the force of his words. Neither of them spoke for several moments, but the silence was filled with the patter of several fat raindrops beginning to fall around them, slowly covering the dirt path with dark brown spots.

"Oh..." she finally managed after what felt like hours. "Oh..._crap_..." With that, she pulled her arms from his grasp and turned, running off down the path back to where they'd left behind Hannah, Lucas, and Emma. Nicholas stood, watching her in disbelief, his heart plummeting to the bottom of his stomach.

She met Hannah as she was pulling a sodden and tearful Emma out of the creek, looking a bit worse for wear.

"Hannah, we have to go," she said, glancing back down the path anxiously. Her mind was racing, and she couldn't get rid of the guilty feeling that was causing her cheeks to flush and tears to well up in her eyes.

"Yes, I know...the storm's coming a bit faster than I thought--"

"No, we have to _go_." Amy strode forward, grabbing Hannah's hand that wasn't holding Emma's and pulling her toward the road that would lead them back to the cottage.

"What..." Hannah looked back over her shoulder. "Lucas, come on! We have to get inside!" she called out.

"Nicholas can bring him back—let's just _go_."

Hannah stopped, pulling her arm away from Amy. "I'm not going to leave them here!" She turned back again, "Lucas! Come _on_. Can't you see that it's starting to pour?"

Several minutes later, the five of them were running as quickly as Emma could keep up toward the house, their clothes already soaked through completely. Thunder cracked, and a jet of lightning hit somewhere in the nearby field; Emma whined loudly, clutching Hannah's hand for dear life. Amy kept several strides ahead of Nicholas, who didn't try to keep up, keeping silent as they ran.

By the time they were pounding up the front steps, the storm had unleashed its full fury upon the house. Winds slapped rain against the facade, and the thunder was deafening. Every last inch of ground was covered with bouncing puddles of water, the sky lighting up periodically with lightning. Hannah threw open the door, herding everyone inside before shutting it again.

Inside, the party was still going, the adults laughing at something, but the sound faltered at the sight of the five sodden children. Immediately, Molly jumped to her feet.

"We heard the rain! Oh, we'd hoped you hadn't gone too far and gotten caught...I'll fetch some towels." She ran to the linen closet, and in the meantime, Julie reached over, grabbing for the present with the pink ribbons.

"One last present!" she proclaimed, turning it over in her hands. "Though...it doesn't say who it's from..." She shrugged, setting it in front of Rosie, who, herself, sat amongst a treasure trove of baby clothes, diapers, and supplies, looking just about as worn out as the children felt. She sighed, laughing as she did so and shaking her head.

Nicholas glanced over at Amy, biting his lip slightly. "Amy...about what I said..."

Amy took a deep breath and held it in, casting about for an excuse. "I have to go to the bathroom..." she mumbled, starting off in the direction that Molly had gone. Nicholas hesitated, but only for a second, before following after her. Molly passed them on the way, stopping in her tracks.

"Here, you two—take these." She held out two towels and Amy stopped, looking up at her. She mumbled a thanks as she took her towel and tried to slip away down the hall, but Nicholas grabbed his quickly and hurried after her, the sounds from the living room growing faint as he chased her farther down the hall. "Please, can I just say something?" he pleaded.

"Really...you're all spoiling me..." Rosie was saying, brushing the hair out of her face.

"You're our baby sister," Maddie said, grinning, "Of course we--" she paused, sighing and fidgeting with something in her pocket.

"What is it?" Adam asked under his breath, stepping over to look down at what she was going for.

"It's my damn Sneakoscope...it's been going off ever since we got here, but now it's just going mad..." She pulled it out, and it sat on her palm, twirling wildly and suddenly emitting a loud, angry sound. Everyone in the room turned to look, except for Wesley, whose gaze was fixed on the box with the pink ribbons.

"Nicholas—I don't want to hear it!"

"Aiden, what kind of charms do you have on your house?" Maddie asked, looking around the room for him.

He stepped out of the kitchen, chewing on something and shrugging. "The usual perimiter charms...why?"

"Why did you run off? I just want to know--"

"Sometimes, an especially tough defensive spell can trip these things, but I don't see--" But before she could continue, Wesley cut her off.

"Rosie..." he said slowly, leaning over the back of the couch. "Is that box...vibrating?"

Maddie spun around, drawing her wand, her eyes falling on the innocuous little box. Suddenly, she understood. "Everyone, get out!" she cried, and after a moment's stunned silence, pandemonium erupted.

"Because I can't--"

Wesley pulled Rosie up from the couch, disapparating with her as Molly quickly reached for Hannah and Emma.

"Wait!" Hannah protested, "Amy--" but before she could continue, Molly had disapparated. Adam found Lucas and disappeared while the rest of the room clambered to disapparate. Only Maddie remained, pointing her wand on the box that was now shuddering violently, leaping from the surface of the coffee table. She slashed her wand widely, a glimmering forcefield materializing over the entire table before she disapparated with a pop.

"What do you mean you--"

"SHH!" Amy peered around Nicholas, her eyebrows furrowing. "Why did everybody go quiet?"

Nicholas glanced over his shoulder, the dead quiet from the living room chilling him to his core. Together, they hurried down the hall and skidded to a halt behind the couch. The moment Nicky saw the box bucking beneath his mother's forcefield, the empty living room, the abandoned gifts, he understood.

"AMY, RUN!"

As the family watched from the field, the living room of the little cottage erupted in an enormous billow of fire and smoke. The sound was deafening and the carnage was illuminated by a blinding flash of lightning.

A single scream pierced it all, sheer horror embodied in a single sound.


	5. Trapped

Chapter Four

Trapped

Hannah's scream ripped through the air like an electric shock, stunning everyone into a momentary silence. Only the sound of the hungry fire filled the night until Hannah darted forward, running full-pelt across the road.

"Hannah, _no!_" cried Molly, but Aiden took off after her, grabbing her around the middle.

"AMY AND NICHOLAS ARE STILL IN THERE!" Hannah shouted, struggling against her father's arms, and he nearly dropped her.

"What?!" Maddie shrieked, looking around her frantically. All at once, she was filled with dread: Nicholas hadn't made it out. "NICHOLAS!" she screamed, following Hannah's example, but Aiden reached out and stopped her too.

"Stop! It's not safe--"

"I know it's not bloody safe—that's why we've got to get them out! NICHOLAS!" she cried again, panic and desperation flooding her voice. "NICHOLAS, NO!"

The moment Nicholas realized that the present had been a weapon planted in the house, and that Maddie was making one small attempt at containing it, the first thing he thought to do was to get Amy out of harm's way.

"AMY, RUN!" he cried, turning and pushing her into the linen closet down the hall.

The second thing he thought to do was to protect her, so he slammed the door shut and jammed the ironing board beneath the doorknob. Then, he crouched over her, covering her body with his.

The third thing he thought came so randomly, that it surprised him. If they were going to die, he thought, then it would be okay. They were together. And maybe they hadn't been having the best time of their lives just before this, but she was clinging to him now, her face buried in his shoulder, too scared to cry, too scared to say anything. And she was trembling. All he thought to do now was to reassure her that he was with her. That, if in this moment it was their time to die, he was not going to let go.

"I'm here, Amy. It's going to be okay. It's all going to be okay."

Jets of water poured from the ends of wands held aloft as every adult in the family fought back the flames of the explosion. Hannah alone stood across the street to guard the rest of them. Sophie and Ezra, who had arrived late with their parents, shivered in the wet chill of the night, but Hannah was shivering for a different reason. Her eyes never left the front of the house, searching wildly for some sign, some small reassurance that her closest cousin and her best friend were okay. That they were alive.

"Hannah, I'm sure they got out...they had to..." Sophie said softly, holding Leah on her hip. But even as she spoke, she cast an uncertain glance at the house. Hannah neither moved nor replied, clutching her towel to her chest, unused, and already soaked.

Ezra glanced between them, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He had an arm around Emma, who was shivering violently, casting nervous glances toward her sister. Lucas clung to Sophie, his face buried in her arm, refusing to watch as the flames gradually began to die down. The heat coming from the house was sweltering, even from their vantage point across the way. He couldn't imagine what it must be like inside.

Still, Hannah stood, not seeing her parents, her aunts and uncles, her grandparents, all working to fight back the blaze, not hearing the cries of spells and the calling of names, not feeling the waves of heat rolling from her home. And though her limbs ached, she didn't move, keeping a rigid vigil amongst a night of such consuming devastation.

The moment the small box exploded, Amy lost all bearing of which way was up and which way was down. She was thrown back against the wall of the closet, the weight of Nicholas's body crushing against her own. And either there was nothing to hear or she'd gone deaf, because everything was silent for what could have been hours. Warm darkness pressed in all around her, and she wondered wildly if this was what death was. One second, you're alive and perceptive, the next you're dead and all sensation's wiped away?

Then, out of the void, she felt a hand close around hers and the movement of lips against her ear. Someone was speaking to her, and now someone was embracing her, familiar arms closing around her broken body. But was she broken? She could feel these tender touches, but she was not in pain. Her head throbbed from where she'd come into contact with the wall, but other than that, she felt whole and well. She opened her mouth to try speaking, and immediately regretted it.

Her lungs were gripped with a terrible pain, and her throat burned as if she'd swallowed a lit torch. She coughed and spluttered, gasping desperately for clean air, but the acrid smoke filled every airway. She was drowning in a sea of noxious fumes. Her arms flailed, and she fought to find some solace, to dig her way out, but the arms around her tightened, keeping her in place. Suddenly, something warm and damp covered her nose and mouth and when she breathed in, she could smell rainwater and laundry detergent. She opened her eyes to see what was going on, but they watered with the smoke that rolled through the tiny room, and she squeezed them shut again, pressing her face against a shoulder that rested close to her. One at a time, she took several deep cleansing breaths, but her chest was caught in a terrible vice and with a small shudder, she lost consciousness.

Over an hour of frantic effort passed, and the flames were finally doused. Hannah could no longer see a mountain of red, but the charred and blackened remains of her house. It seemed as if the fire had not reached the attic, nor any other part of the building outside of the living room and kitchen. In one place, she could see straight through a hole in the walls to the yard behind, but the majority of the structure seemed to be intact.

"Wh-where are we going to live?" asked a small voice to her right. Hannah blinked, glancing over her shoulder, but only for a moment, catching sight of her sister peering up at her with wide eyes. She took a deep breath and when Emma ran to her, she wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

"I dunno, Em..." she murmured, but their home was the least of her worries. She knew the damage sustained by the house was nothing compared to what those left behind must be going through.

Though heat was still pouring from the steaming rubble of the front stoop, the adults advanced, each one hesitant to approach the mess, but eager to find the two inside.

"The foundation seems stable," Aiden contemplated, his eyes sweeping over what was left of the doorway. The door and wall had been blasted to pieces, but the frame remained, leading into a foyer covered in a thick layer of ash. "But I don't know if the attic's going to stay put."

"We could cast a levitating spell—just in case," said Julie, glancing toward him. He shook his head.

"No, we can't risk the walls caving in...if they're still in there..." he tapered off, and everyone fell into an uneasy silence.

Maddie fidgeted, frustrated by their hesitation, and stepped forward. The smoldering grass crunched beneath her feet as she shouted, "Nicholas? Amy? Can you hear us? Nicholas?--"

"Amy?"

Someone was whispering her name in the darkness. She could feel a hand press against her cheek, and a weight was lifted from her mouth. The air she breathed now was humid, but free from smoke and she was suddenly aware that she was resting against something warm and comfortable.

"Amy, wake up..."

Her eyes fluttered, and she caught sight of a flickering light that illuminated the roof of a very small room. Quickly, she sat up, and the blood rushed to her head, making her dizzy and causing the throbbing to return. She groaned and fell back against Nicholas, gasping when she realized what she was doing.

"Nicholas! What happened?" Her voice sounded loud in the cramped closet, and she turned to look up at him. His face was covered in soot, though she could tell that his cheeks were flushed and there was a clean patch around his mouth where he'd held his own damp towel. He sighed, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair.

"I'm not sure exactly...but something blew up in the living room. I think it was one of Rosie's gifts..."

Amy's eyes widened. "Something _blew up?!_ But...how? Why?"

He shook his head, looking over at the door. His wand sat on the floor, the tip glowing, casting a pale light around the bottom of the room. Somehow, miraculously, the closet was intact. The ironing board had bent with the impact of the explosion, but it remained, wedged tightly against the doorknob.

"I don't know..."

"Then how..." she bit her lip, looking down at the towel in her lap before turning her gaze back to Nicky. There was a silence in which she watched him, and he cast his gaze downward. He'd shed his jacket and there were bruises forming on his arms where he'd hit the wall, dark ash staining his clothes and skin. She imagined she didn't look much better. "Are we...trapped?" she whispered, pushing the hair back from her eyes. It was matted, adhering to her sweaty forehead.

He nodded before whispering back, "It's probably best to wait until someone finds us. The roof could collapse on us if we tried to move."

She bit her lip and fell into an awkward silence. Her lungs ached, and she was certain a whelt was forming on the back of her head. Every part of her ached for rest, but she was wide awake. She took in a deep breath and coughed, her throat burning and Nicky made a move as if to pat her back, but hesitated and put his hand back into her lap. She glanced toward him and, feeling guilty, shifted closer to him again.

"Nicky..." she began, but faltered when he looked up at her. "How...how long d'you think it'll take them to find us?"

He shook his head. "I dunno...I think the fire's out, though. I'm sure they'll start looking soon..."

The silence that followed was bitter and filled with unspoken thoughts.

"Ben...the children...they're soaking wet; they can't just stand outside while we search..."

Ben glanced across the road when he heard Julie, thinking for a moment before looking back at her. "We ought to take them to our house--"

"But what if it isn't safe?"

"The charms won't fail, and if someone stays behind..."

Julie took a took a deep breath and held it in before nodding. "I'll go. I'll reinforce the charms, and if anything happens, we'll come straight back here."

Ben stepped over to her, leaning down and kissing her tenderly on the forehead. "Be careful..." he whispered.

But when Julie made her attempt at gathering the children to take them to safety, there was one who remained adamant about staying behind.

"I can't leave them," Hannah said firmly, shaking her head. "I won't..."

Julie sighed—she understood what it was like, having friends in mortal peril. Her entire seventh year at Hogwarts was spent worrying about Ben's safety as he competed in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. "Hannah, I can't just leave you here in the field alone."

"I'm fine. I won't leave, I'll stay here until they find them."

Julie glanced toward the house uneasily. "It could be hours--"

"I don't care. I'm staying."

"Hannah..."

She looked up at the sound of her father's voice. When she met his eyes, he hesitated.

"Dad, I can't..." she said, her tone softening as she addressed him. He watched her thoughtfully before kneeling down in front of her—though he hardly had to anymore, she was growing so fast.

"It would be safer if you went with your grandmother. Don't you want to take care of your cousins?"

"Grandma will protect them. Besides, one of my cousins _is_ in there..." She glanced toward the house, and when it was clear that she wasn't going to budge, Aiden sighed. He looked up at Julie.

"We'll keep an eye on her."

"Are you sure--"

"She'll be fine."

Julie sighed, clearly unhappy with the idea, but nodded, taking Lucas and Sophie by the hand. Sophie grabbed onto Ezra, and Julie disapparated with all of them.

Aiden looked back down at his daughter, seeing so much of her mother's caring concern in her eyes. He nearly smiled, reaching up and brushing the hair back from her forehead before kissing it gently.

"Stay right here, okay? No matter what happens, I want you to stay in this field. And keep down out of sight...we don't know who's out there, or--"

"I'll stay here, Dad. I promise."

Seconds turned into painful minutes as Amy tried in vain to sort out her thoughts. She was trapped in a closet with a boy who she'd just broken up with not an hour ago (or at least, she didn't _think_ it was an hour), and there was no telling when they would be rescued. She dug at a hole in her jeans, fixating her gaze upon it as she fought against the urge to speak. In the end, however, her mouth won the battle.

"Nicky...did you...did you really mean what you said?" she asked, her voice timid and cautious, mortally afraid of the answer.

Nicholas looked up at her, surprised that she'd chosen to break the silence. And with a loaded question, no less.

"I...yeah," he said, nodding and looking down again, as if ashamed of the answer. She closed her eyes, wincing ever so slightly. More silence followed, and she opened her eyes again. "I didn't mean to make you upset, though..." he went on, his voice little more than a whisper.

Amy let out her breath in a huff, shaking her head. "You didn't upset me, I just..." He glanced toward her, and when she looked up, she caught his gaze and her heart leaped into her throat. She stood, dusting the ash off her pants before stepping over to the other side of the room, running her fingertips along the wall, testing it to see if it broke away at her touch. It stayed firm.

"You can't feel like that...for me," she said, making sure not look at him as she walked along the edge of the room, making her way to the door. "You can't say that."

He watched her, a million emotions teeming in his mind. "Why not?"

"Because you just can't!" she exclaimed, spinning around to look down at him. "You're thirteen! I'm twelve!"

"That doesn't matter--"

"And if that's not enough, then here's this: I don't _live_ here! I don't live anywhere! All my life, it's been 'let's go to this exotic place!' or 'we have to go study the migration patterns of some fucking bird that lives on the opposite end of the world as we are now!' I'm never staying anywhere long enough to make any real friends..."

"That doesn't mean you can't try, though," Nicky said a bit sulkily, picking up a charred piece of wood that looked like it had fallen from one of the shelves high up in the closet.

"Yes it does. It definitely does! Because every time I _do_ try, it falls apart just like this!"

"It doesn't have to fall apart, though. I can wait..." though he meant what he said, there was a small part of him that was reluctant to commit to the idea. She could be gone longer than a year—she hadn't said it, but he could read it in her expression. She didn't know when she would make it back, and there was a chance that she never would return. But he could hope, couldn't he?

"I can't." She sighed and shook her head. "I can't go from one life to another and hope to keep in contact with the people I care about—"

"You seem plenty prepared to keep in contact with Hannah." He hadn't meant to put an accusing edge on his words, but it was there.

Amy stopped, and it was a good thing she was turned away, because her look was venomous. "It was Hannah's idea to be penpals. You can't blame her for thinking of it first."

"So why don't you write to me too?"

"Because I know what you'll say!" she spun around to look down at him again. "You'll say you wish I was back here, and I'll feel guilty because I'm not. I don't want to feel that way, Nicky! I don't want to feel guilty for you."

"I don't blame you for the way your parents live..." he said calmly. "I just wish you could stay here so we can be together--"

"Maybe I don't want to be together anymore!" she shouted, and the moment she did, a crashing noise surrounded them and Amy gasped, ducking down and covering her head. A few moments later, the only sound that could be heard was the plunking of small bits of rubble, though their tiny closet remained intact. Amy sighed, raising her head and looking over at Nicky. He was watching her.

"You don't mean that..."

"_Nicky_..." Amy raised a hand to her forehead, keeping her voice as controlled as she could, not wanted to cause another avalanche. "I've already broken up with you once, don't make me do it again."

The moment Hannah saw the roof start to collapse, she jumped to her feet and yelled, but not because the house seemed to be caving in on itself. Because she'd heard something. It had been a small shout, but she'd heard it. And it was definitely Amy's voice.

"They're still alive!" she yelled, resisting the urge to dart across the street. Maddie stopped what she was doing and looked over at her before quickly looking back at the rubble.

"Nicholas?!" she called, climbing over the remains of the couch, tripping and catching herself against the wall of the hallway.

"Maddie, stop!" Landon shouted as the wall gave a groan. She froze, watching the plaster in front of her warily. With the roof decimated, the wall was standing on its own, and the smallest bit of weight pressed against it could cause it to give way. That's when she heard it.

"Mum?"

Her heart nearly stopped. "Nicky?! Nicky, can you hear me?"

Nicholas stood, joining Amy at the door of the closet, pressing his hands against it. "Mum! We're in here!"

Hannah darted across the road, tumbling over the crumbling front steps as she made her way toward Maddie.

"Hannah, get back!" Aiden called, but she ignored him.

"Amy?!"

Amy paused, cracking a grin as she heard Hannah's voice. She was touched that she'd chosen to stay behind, and with a fluttering of her stomach, she wondered why.

"Everybody, STOP!"

All movement stilled, and Maddie and Hannah glanced back to see Ben aiming his wand at the wall in front of them, concentrating intently.

"Keep absolutely still. Aiden and Molly, _carefully_ make your way into the hallway. Landon and Claire, make sure the other wall stays put. Maddie and Adam, you're going to find exactly what room they're in and while Aiden and Molly keep the room from falling in on itself, you'll open the door and the moment you find them, disapparate with them. Hannah...go back to the road."

"But I want to help--"

"Hannah, do as we say!" Aiden's strict disciplinarian side often lay dormant, but with its sudden appearance at this moment, Hannah hesitated and chose to obey rather than put up a fight. She turned, heading to the front of the house again, but stopped before she could get to the road, looking back and waiting with baited breath.

"Nicholas? Amy?" Maddie called as she climbed through the hallway, Adam following close behind her.

"We're here!" came Nicholas' voice from behind the door to the linen closet. Molly and Aiden took their places on either side of the hall, keeping their wands trained on walls washed with black ash, though a single wave of relief washed over them all.

Maddie nearly tripped over her own feet getting to the door, but once she was positioned in front of it, she called to them, "Stand back and cover your eyes!"

With that, she waved her wand, and the door blew to pieces. A great cracking noise filled the air and jets of light flew from Molly and Aiden's wands. Beyond the ashy dust, Maddie could see Amy and Nicky crouching against the far wall, their hands over their heads.

"Oh thank goodness!" she rushed forward, taking them each by the hand and disapparating just as a large chunk of the ceiling came crashing down. The rest disapparated as well, reappearing beside Hannah to watch as the house slowly collapsed on itself, clouds of dust, smoke, and ash rising from the mound of rubble.

The moment Maddie apparated with Nicky and Amy, Hannah darted forward, throwing her arms around them both. "You're alright!"

Amy laughed softly as she stumbled backwards slightly, patting Hannah's arm reassuringly. "We're fine...thanks to Nicholas. We're okay..." She glanced toward him and when he looked her way, she didn't avert her gaze. He grinned slightly.

"I was just so worried!"

"Now, why would you go and do a silly thing like that?" Nicholas asked, pulling away to look down at his cousin. He was smirking. She looked up at him and shook her head.

"Don't joke—you could have _died_!"

"Would I ever think of leaving you behind to deal with that lot?" he asked, nodding toward the adults, but before she could respond, Nicky was being dragged into a huge hug by his mother.

"Nicky, I'm so sorry! How did we ever leave you behind? I can't _believe _I let myself disapparate without you!" she was saying very quickly. Nicky hugged her in return, but shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault, Mum. Amy and I were in the hall when it all happened..."

Amy bit her lip and looked down as Nicky explained, and Hannah glanced between them. She let out a huge sigh and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Amy and hugging her tightly. "I'm so sorry...that must've been _awful_..." she whispered, and Amy was hardly aware that Hannah's clothes were soaking her own, or that the rain was still falling around them. She merely hugged Hannah back, silently grateful that at least one person understood what she'd gone through in that closet.

"He wouldn't let it go..." Amy whispered after a few moments, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her face in Hannah's shoulder.

"But what did you guys even talk about when we were at the creek?" she asked, pulling away and looking at her. She let her hands drop.

"I don't want to talk about it now....I just...I think I should go home..."

Hannah laughed softly, and the sound so surprised Amy that she looked up.

"What's so funny?"

"What the hell are you going to tell your parents?"

Amy paused. ". . . That's a _really_ good question..."


	6. Debts, Deals, and Dissension

Chapter Five

Debts, Deals, and Dissension

_The night that Rosie went into labor, the sky was teeming with lightning, that made no sound. The air was thick and humid, but no rain fell. Everyone expected a storm, but the clouds stubbornly withheld their arsenal. There wasn't a single person in my family who wasn't on their last nerve by the time the sun fell beneath the horizon._

"For the _last time_, Sophie...Aunt Rosie's not going to have the baby for several hours. It would be pointless going to St. Mungo's now."

"But what if we miss it?"

Landon sighed and put down his quill on his writing desk and turned to his daughter.

"Then we'll visit them another time. You're not going to think her baby's any less adorable if it's a couple of days old."

Sophie sighed and folded her arms across her chest in a pout. There weren't a lot of things that Sophie disagreed with her father on, and generally she listened to what he said, but this was something she'd been adamant about for some time.

"But me and Ezra are the only ones left home while everybody else is at school! Somebody's gotta be there for Aunt Rosie!"

"Of course, you're completely forgetting about Lucas, Emma...Leah...."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Oh, _they_ don't count! Lucas doesn't care, Emma's too young, and Leah's _definitely_ too young!"

"And so are you," he said decisively, turning back to his work.

"I am _not!_" Sophie stomped her foot on the floor, determined to win him over. She quickly changed tactics, grabbing onto his arm and pulling on it. "Pleeeeease?"

Landon sighed, letting her drag his hand away from the parchment in front of him, and he turned toward her once more. "In the morning..." he said, "If Rosie's still in labor...we'll go."

"The _morning?_ That's not good enough!"

"Sophie, your father's right. You need to be getting to bed anyway—we'll visit the hospital in the morning," Claire said calmly as she stepped out of the kitchen, beginning to straighten up the living room. Sophie shot her an uncharacteristically sour look, frowning.

"You can't tell me what to do," she spat venomously.

"_Sophie_."

She froze, the harshness in her father's voice sending her straight to silence. She didn't have a chance in the world of visiting now, and she looked down, toeing the carpet with her foot, not wanting to look over and see the expression on Landon's face. Instead, she sighed, sulking back toward her room. Ezra watched her as she passed, surprise in his eyes.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times! Do _not_ leave your shoes in front of the door!"

"Maddie..." Adam said gently, resting his hands on her shoulders from behind, pulling her away from Lucas.

"No! I'm sick of it," Maddie said, brushing him away and turning toward him. "Every time I come home, I trip over those damn shoes..."

Lucas bit his lip, shuffling to the door and picking up his pair of sneakers, carrying them with him as he hurried off to his room. Maddie watched until the door snapped shut behind him before she rounded on Adam.

"And you know what else I'm sick of? I'm sick of being the one to yell all the time! Why do I always have to be the one to yell?"

"Honey, calm down--"

"NO! I will _not_ calm down, Adam! I'm the only disciplinarian in this house, and I'm done with it! I hate having to come home every day and be the one to scream and dole out punishments. Why don't you grow a pair and step up for once?"

Adam took a deep breath and held it in for several moments before letting it out in a sigh. There was no use trying to talk sense into her when she was in this state. But she was looking at her expectantly, and he couldn't keep his gaze averted for long.

"I'm sorry..."

"I don't want you to be _sorry_, I want you to _do_ something! It's so easy for you, getting away for days and weeks at a time. You don't have to come home to this every single fucking day. _You_ don't have to worry about anything but work--"

"That's not true and you know it," he interrupted her, and she folded her arms, raising her eyebrows—she'd wanted a fight, he knew this. "I worry about you and the kids all day long. Every time I go away, I _worry_. I worry that you're not safe, I worry that you're stressed out, I worry that you're not happy--"

"Yeah? Then why don't you ever do anything about it?"

"Maddie, I'm not going to fight with you..."

"Why not?!"

"Because nothing I say will make you happy! You aren't happy unless I yell at you, and after I do, you get upset. It's an endless circle, and I'm not going to take part in it." He turned, starting toward the hallway.

"Get back here!"

"I'm not fighting, Madison. Not tonight," he said decisively, refusing to look back even as he shut the door to their bedroom behind him, leaving Maddie fuming behind it. After a few moments of glaring at the door, she spun on her heel and grabbed her purse and her wand, disapparating on the spot.

"Emma Louise Scoresby, I'm going to give you until the count of three..."

"No! Go away!"

Molly sighed, slumping against the wall beside the door to her younger daughter's room, raising a hand to her forehead. "If you don't get your butt out here in the next three seconds..."

"You'll what? Ground me?"

"Young lady, you do _not_ talk to me like that--"

"Go ahead! I don't care anyway!"

There was a loud thump as something that sounded like a shoe hit the door. Molly ran her fingers through her hair, letting out a soft, aggravated groan. She looked at the cordless phone in her hand, thinking deeply. Aiden was scheduled to go into surgery earlier that evening, but she had no way of knowing whether or not he would be out yet. Besides, Aiden wasn't the _only_ person Emma listened to...

"Emma, Auntie Rosie won't be very happy if you don't come to visit her," she called through the door, clearing her throat and keeping her tone light. There was silence on the other side of the door. "Emma?"

"Molly? Is everything alright?" Julie stepped out of her bedroom, in the process of getting ready to visit Rosie at the hospital. While their house was being rebuilt, Molly and her family were staying at Aiden's mother's house and the last few months had been hectic, to say the least.

Molly sighed softly, leaning against the wall next to the door. "Emma's giving me trouble again..."

Julie glanced toward the door uncertainly before looking back up at her daughter-in-law. "Why don't you go ahead and go to St. Mungo's, I can take care of everything here."

Molly stood up straight again and shook her head. "Oh Julie, you don't have to do that...you're about to have another grandchild. _You_ need to be there..."

"And I will," she said reassuringly, resting a hand against Molly's arm. "But you don't need any more stress—go on. We'll meet you there."

_One couple alone seemed able to stand each other._

"Can you believe it? The first night we're home at the same time, and it just happens to be Rosie's big day. If that's not luck..."

"She'd kill me if I wasn't there, too," Eli was saying as he packed a bag for Leah. Callie was sifting quickly through the mail.

"I won't be able to stay the whole night—and I'll bet Leah will be fussy by midnight. But I'd understand if you wanted to stay..." she glanced toward him and he nodded slightly.

"I think if I tried to duck out, she'd get Wesley to curse my brains out," he snickered, folding a plastic bag of Cheerios in with the rest of Leah's things. He stood, slinging the bag over his shoulder and stepping over to Callie, kissing her on the forehead affectionately. He raised a hand to the side of her cheek and looked down at her when he pulled away.

"What?" Callie asked slowly, unable to help the grin that was spreading across her lips as her eyes met his. He shook his head.

"The first night we're together, and we're getting ready to spend it in a hospital waiting room?"

Callie's grin shifted into a mischievous smile and she ran her fingertips up the length of his side. "Well, we don't have to stay there the _whole_ time...there are on-call rooms you know..."

Eli bit his lip playfully, reaching up with his other hand and tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, his fingertips lightly caressing the side of her cheek. "I like the way you think..."

Callie laughed softly, leaning up and brushing her lips tantalizingly against his as she spoke, "There's a message for you on the machine...I'll go get Leah...then you can meet us there..."

Eli raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Are you sure there's isn't time for--"

"Eli! Leah's in the other room!" Callie laughed, playfully pushing him away. "Go get your message, I'll see you in a bit..." She turned, starting toward Leah's room before she was suddenly swept back into her spot. She gasped, giggling as Eli pulled her close once more and leaned downward, trapping her lips in a kiss.

She grinned, melting into him and kissing him back, her hands resting against his chest. After a moment, he pulled away, letting her go and adjusting the bag on his shoulder.

"I'll see you in a bit, love..."

"I'm going to kill them all."

"Rosie, dear...perhaps you should sit down--"

"I can't sit down! I can't stand up when I have a damn contraction, and if I don't pace, I'm going to curse the next thing that moves!"

Wesley quickly put his hands in his lap and sat stock-still, not wanting to incur the wrath of his wife, who was quickly becoming frustrated with the emptiness of their hospital room.

"You're _sure_ that you called everyone?"

"I'm positive—before we even left the house, I made sure everyone knew..."

Rosie glanced toward him suspiciously and he bit his lip, painfully aware of the presence of her wand on the bedside table. If there was some way he could just sidle over to it without her pouncing on him like a rabid hyena...

"I figured at _least_ my mum would be here..." Rosie glanced toward the window. The sun had set long ago, and she could just make out little flashes in the clouds above the expanse of streets laying out in front of the hospital. Of course, everyone milling around on those streets, trying to get in before the storm hit, were completely unaware of St. Mungos' existence. The building, like most of the Scoresbys' houses, was unplottable.

"They'll be here," Wesley said calmly, standing up and moving toward her. He rested his hands on her shoulders from behind, gently working at the tension in her back. "I promise."

She looked up at him disbelievingly, but finally gave a small sigh. "They'd better."

Wesley gave her a smile and kissed the top of her head before taking a small step towards her bed, snatching the wand from the bedside table before she could catch him.

"Rosie! So sorry I'm late, I--" Maddie paused on her way through the door, looking around in amused confusion. "Am I the first one here?" she asked incredulously.

Wesley looked quickly over his shoulder and moved his hand across his throat, signaling for Maddie to stop talking, shaking his head quickly before Rosie could turn to face her sister, looking livid.

"Oh! Erm...here, I brought you something," Maddie quickly interrupted Rosie's annoyed reply, hurrying into the room and stopping at the bed. She rifled through her bag for a few moments before pulling out soft blue material folded neatly into a square and tied with a navy blue ribbon.

"It's my baby blanket from Lucas—sorry if you're not having a boy, but it's the only color I had," she laughed nervously, turning and holding out the baby blanket. There was a small silence in which Rosie's expression went from brain-cursingly mad to tearfully grateful in record time.

"Maaaadieeee!" she cried, crossing the room and throwing her arms around her sister and hugging her tightly. "Thank you!" Her voice was distorted by small sobs and Maddie looked up at Wesley, wide-eyed, before patting Rosie on the back hesitantly.

"It's...it's okay, Rose...it's not like I was doing anything with it anyway..."

"But you _came_...and you _brought_ me something..." Rosie explained through her tears, pulling away to look up at her.

"Well, I...I was originally going to bring you flowers, but I thought that would be kind of cliché...and stupid..."

At that moment, the door opened once again, and Adam stepped inside, carrying a sleepy Lucas on one arm, and a small bouquet of flowers in the other.

"Where's the party? I brought guests!"

Maddie turned to look at her husband and, spotting the flowers, raised an eyebrow. "Classy, Adam."

"Where is everybody?" Adam asked as he set Lucas on the floor, but Maddie quickly stepped over to him before Rosie could get over her emotional outbreak and bite his head off.

"Dear, why don't you take Lucas and find something to eat? I think we've got things under control here..."

"O...kay..." Adam consented, raising an eyebrow and glancing toward Rosie and Wesley in confusion.

"Anyway," Maddie turned back to her sister, "I'm sure people are on their way. Why don't you get comfortable?" She tried leading her to the bed, but Rosie wouldn't budge.

"Maddie...I've been having contractions for the last day and a half...nothing is going to make me comfortable."

"Right..." Maddie glanced around, casting about for something to distract her with. "Well—the good news is, you're not in America, huh? You know...having contractions trying to have a peaceful dinner with Gracie and Jude..."

Rosie sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. "No, Maddie, because unlike you, I _didn't_ get on a plane the day before going into labor..."

"Day _of_..." Maddie muttered, but suddenly the door flew open again.

"Rosie! I'm _so_ sorry. Emma was acting up and, well...your mother will be here soon, I promise. But Aiden hasn't gotten back to me, I think he may still be in surgery..." Molly bit her lip guiltily as she let the door swing shut behind her, but before it could, someone caught it and stepped inside behind her.

"Molly! I thought I was following you," said Callie as she moved Leah to her other hip, dropping her purse to the floor beside the door. "Rosie, how are you feeling? Is there anything you need—anything I can get you?"

Rosie looked around the rapidly filling room before her gaze settled on Callie once more. "Where's Eli?"

"Oh, he's coming. He just had one little thing to look into, he won't be long," she sank into a chair, shifting Leah to her lap.

_But what Callie didn't know was that Eli would never show that night. He was distracted, and though he knew he was letting his little sister down, he was unable to tear himself away._

Eli watched the blinking light on the answering machine for a few moments, going over the list of people who could possibly have called him while he was out. There was Rosie, of course, yelling at him to get his butt to the hospital. His mother could have called for a chat. His team manager could have had something to say. But Wesley was probably keeping Rosie from making threatening phone calls, he would be seeing Julie at the hospital soon, and he'd been at practice the whole day with ample opportunity for the manager to pull him aside and talk to him in person. So, who could it be?

Reaching out to press the button, he considered leaving the message for when he got back later that night. After all, if it wasn't Rosie, then it wasn't someone who needed him desperately, and he felt that his time should be devoted to the person who needed him most. But curiosity was plaguing him now, and he simply _had_ to find out who had called him. He pressed the button, and was met with a curious silence. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a voice found his ears, simultaneously chilling and intriguing.

"Hello Eli...by now, I imagine you're wondering who this is. Well, don't worry; everything will be explained in due time. But while I've got you here, let me lay down a few ground rules. After this message has played out, you will not leave. You will put down whatever you have in your hands, especially if you've been smart enough to draw your wand by now. You will not use the phone to try and call anyone, and you will not yell for help. I imagine your ego would prevent you from that anyway, but let's say for argument's sake you get desperate."

Eli stared at the answering machine, too startled to consider refusing to abide by what the voice was telling him. Slowly, he set Leah's bag down on the floor, but his wand was sitting several feet away on the coffee table.

"Very good...Now, I want you to tell me something. Is the house empty?"

Eli looked around quickly, the distinct feeling that he was being watched causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. He clenched his hands into fists, unable to accept the idea that anyone would be able to break into their house without his knowing.

"Yes..." he answered through gritted teeth, feeling ridiculous for answering to a bodyless voice.

"Fantastic, we're off to a brilliant start. Now, what I want you to do next may seem counter-intuitive, but we're almost through with this part of the night, so how about we finish strong? I want you to pick up your wand—slowly."

There was a pause in which Eli stood defiantly still, his glare fixed on the answering machine. He was going to call this woman's bluff. If she continued on, he would grab his wand and disapparate, his suspicions that she was actually in the room gone, and he would deal with it later when his sister wasn't in need of him. But this plan soon fell to pieces when the voice returned.

"Come along now, Eli...we haven't got all night."

At once, Eli dashed to the coffee table and snatched up his wand, turning on the spot and brandishing his weapon.

"Where are you?" he demanded, his voice ringing out in the seemingly empty house. "How dare you break into my house! Show yourself!"

"_Expelliarmus!_"

The spell hit him from the corner to which his back was turned, the corner in which the answering machine sat, the corner from which he had been standing mere inches. Before he could retaliate, his wand flew from his hand, falling with a clatter to the floor near the answering machine and rolling beneath the end table on which it sat.

"You really don't know how to follow orders, do you, Scoresby?"

As Eli turned to face the source of the voice that had so abruptly changed his evening plans, his breath caught in his throat. The Disillusionment Charm was fading, and a woman was slowly appearing in the darkness of her corner. She was painfully beautiful, but something lingered about her features that hinted to him that she had not always been the way she looked now.

Long, dark waves of perfectly ebony hair framed a face as pale and ghostly as a spectre, and her eyes, glittering and dark, were fixated on him. He couldn't breathe for the way she was looking at him, dark intent in eyes that had once been vibrant green. She was simultaneously the most alluring and most terrifying thing he had ever seen, so much so that her mere existence could only be attributed to dark magic. She was a servant of a thoroughly iniquitous force, but commanded the power and authority of one who possesses great sway over the tides of the universe.

"Who _are_ you?" Eli managed, his voice caught between impressed and utterly bemused.

"I..." a slow smiled creeped across the woman's pale lips, "...am the last person you will ever say 'yes' to..."

"Yes! He _called_ him. Why do you think Callie's here? Dammit Rosie, you've asked the same damn questions like fifty times now since we've been here. I can't imagine what you've put poor Wesley through--"

"Maddie, maybe you ought to calm down...you're not the one who's in labor," Adam said cautiously, glancing between his wife and Rosie, the tension between them rising to an almost volatile degree.

"What _I've_ put Wesley through?" Rosie's voice rose incredulously, and Wesley moved to put his hand on her arm, but she slapped it away like an annoying fly. "Where's my wand? What did you do with my wand? I want Maddie out of here!"

"Rose, you don't mean that--"

"Yes I do! I can't do this with her belittling me--"

"Oh, what're you gonna do to me, Rosie? You're giving birth to a _child_. Don't make threats you can't live up to...."

"Erm...Maddie?" Adam took a small step toward her. "Might I remind you of the death threats _you've_ made when--"

"Shut up!" she snapped, shooting him a small glare before looking back at Rosie. "Eli's not here! Big deal! You can't just sit around and wait the whole night until he shows up—your baby's got a schedule of its own, and no matter what you do--"

"Maddie? Remember when _Aiden_ wasn't in New York with us and you forced yourself to wait--"

"Shut _UP!_"

"_Enough_."

The whole room was still as Julie stepped through the door. Emma trailed along behind her, looking between the adults, bewildered.

"There will be no more arguing, do you hear me? Rosie, calm yourself. Madison," she turned to her, flicking her wand, a chair scooting out from beside the wall and stopping just before it could hit the back of Maddie's legs, "--sit _down_."

Maddie slowly sank into the chair behind her, looking stricken. Julie watched her shrewdly until she was sure there would be no more outbursts, then she turned to the room at large.

"We are a _family_. And we're about to become just a little bit bigger," she slowly looked around, her voice chiding them all, even Molly, who stood in the far corner, having kept to herself for the duration of the fight. Emma ran to her now, clutching at her hand and turning to watch Julie cautiously. "Now, I don't care what your problems are, but we will _not_ bring this baby into a dysfunctional atmosphere. Everyone is going to smile...and be happy for Rosie...and we'll deal with the situation at hand."

Nobody moved. All eyes were now on the woman dominating the room, and no one seemed daring enough to challenge her, not even Lucas, who like his mother always had something to say.

"Now...Callie, where is Elijah?"

"He was right behind me when I left. He had to check a message, and then he said he'd meet us here," she answered quickly, shifting Leah to her other shoulder.

Julie nodded once before turning her attention to her youngest daughter. "Rosie, that's the best answer you're going to get, and you're going to have to deal with it."

Rosie, standing by her bed, nodded, looking dejected but otherwise relieved that someone had taken control of the situation.

"Now..." Julie smiled sweetly, her entire demeanor changing in an instant. "How are you feeling, dear?"

"Erm..." Rosie's hands went to her stomach and she glanced downward before looking back up at her mother quickly. "Actually, I think...I think it's happening..."

There was a sudden flurry of motion, and the room sprang to life once more. Maddie jumped up from her seat to join Rosie at her bedside, Lucas shouted, "COOL!" and hurried after his mother, Wesley was at Rosie's other side in an instant, helping her back into the bed. All of this stopped when Julie spoke again, the command back in her voice.

"Absolutely_ not_. Everyone—you're crowding her. Molly, Adam, and Callie...find a waiting room and take the children. Rosie has everything she needs here, and we'll let you know the second something happens."

Callie looked shocked, Adam relieved, but as they were on their way out the door, Julie spoke again.

"Molly--"

She turned, looking back, though Emma was tugging at her hand. "Yes?"

"Where's Aiden?"

"I'm not....I think he's still in surgery," she bit her lip.

Julie nodded once. "Find a Healer...but be on the lookout for Aiden. He'll want to know."

Molly nodded and swept out of the room. Julie turned to Rosie again.

"Alright, sweetheart....let's have this baby."

"_Quidditch_," the word was full of disgust and demeaning as it slipped from Selene's lips. She was twirling her wand between her fingertips as she slowly circled the living room of Eli's house. "I've always hated the sport...and the egos it creates."

"So, what? This is about the Cannons?" As she moved, his gaze followed her, watching for the slightest movement that might cause her to lose her sight of him, and he could make for the corner and grab his wand. But she watched him vigilantly.

Selene laughed incredulously, the sound scathing. "Exactly my point." She stopped and turned to face him dead-on now. "You and your entire family...you've had this idea stuck in your heads that you reign above everyone else. Because you have your name in the tabloids, you feel the need to lord over your inferiors--"

"It's not like that," Eli spat back, indignation rising in his tone. "I don't give a damn what the tabloids say--"

"No?" Selene cut him off, raising her eyebrows slightly. "Not at all?"

Eli hesitated, watching her closely. She began to circle again, taking slow, deliberate steps, her wand spinning in her fingers, but somehow never seeming to turn away from him.

"You mean to tell me that you wouldn't care in the slightest if the Daily Prophet had your face splashed across the front page, pitted with accusations of terrible things?"

He grit his teeth, clenching his hands into fists. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing you need worry your bloated ego about so long as you do precisely as I say..."

"I'll never help you--" he began, taking a step toward her, wanting nothing more than to rear back and destroy that hauntingly beautiful face. But she stopped instantly, and he found himself staring at the tip of her wand inches from his nose.

"You will when you realize I have more than libel and slander at my disposal." She began to advance on him, and Eli couldn't help but take steps backward the closer she came. She was threatening and enticing all at once, and the fact that his wand lie across the room far beyond his reach was beginning to make him feel vulnerable despite himself.

"You're bluffing," he said, attempting to sound braver than he actually was. His resolve was slowly dwindling as he was being backed into a corner.

"With one strike, I could have you lying on the floor, helpless to move a finger much less stand up at all as I wait for your dear wife and child to return from St. Mungo's. Then, I would ensure that you had a perfect vantage point as I slaughter them slowly and with no regard for the years of emotional turmoil that would invade your thoughts as you bemoan the fact that you had every power in the world to stop me, simply by abiding by what I say."

"Stay the _fuck_ away from my family," Eli growled, a last burst of courage erupting from the pit of his stomach as he stepped forward, grabbing her wand arm and pulling it away from his face. Selene reacted instantly, twisting her arm with inhuman speed and spinning around. As she did so, her foot shot out, knocking Eli's legs out from under him and sending him sprawling against the wall. Her wand was in his face again in an instant as she little more than murmured, "_Crucio_."

Stars burst before his eyes, and Eli slipped to the floor in agonizing pain, biting down on his tongue to keep from crying out, but the sound escaped regardless as he writhed, his body contorting wretchedly.

"Rosie...you might want to lighten up on Wesley's hand a bit—I think he might need it later..."

Squeezing her husband's hand as if clinging for life, Rosie cried out to drown out Maddie's voice. She was in the worst pain of her life and nothing her sister was saying was making it any better.

"One more comment, Maddie, and I'm throwing you from the room," Julie said warningly, giving her a glance that clearly said she meant business. Maddie sighed, but fell silent, glancing toward the Healer crouched at the foot of Rosie's bed.

"Isn't there anything you can do? She's been like this for hours!"

"Mrs. Wright, you have to understand. This is Rose's first pregnancy, and the baby isn't exactly the smallest..." the Healer explained with patience that was clearly wearing thin.

"Leave it to you to give me a freak giant for a kid," Rosie growled at Wesley, who responded merely by pressing his lips to her forehead and squeezing her hand, though he was surprised he still had any control over his at all—he was fairly certain she was going to rip it off.

"It'll be over soon, sweetheart. Then you and the baby can have the best sleep of your life--"

"More like the _last_ sleep of your life," Maddie mumbled.

"Madison!"

"What?! It's true!" Maddie looked up to see Julie glaring daggers at her. But before she could be tossed out into the hall, the Healer spoke again.

"The baby's crowning. Rose....it's time to give me one last good push, okay? You're almost through...just one push."

"You can do it, baby. Just a little bit longer," Wesley urged gently, pushing the hair back from Rosie's eyes as she sat forward, her breathing ragged as she fought to contain a scream.

Eli's breath caught in his throat as Selene finally lifted the spell. But before he could react, she was kneeling in front of him, seizing the collar of his shirt.

"That was nothing to what I'll do to your wife if you choose to defy me, Scoresby," she half-whispered, and though her voice was soft, it was infused with a deadly promise. He turned his gaze up to meet her dark eyes and when he did, she sneered.

"But thanks to your obstinance, I've kept you too long. Calliope is in the waiting room of the second floor of St. Mungo's, growing angrier with you by the minute. You will go to her, but you will not say anything about what has happened tonight. You will be given your first task soon, but if you fail to keep quiet until then, I'll follow through on my promise that your family won't live to see another day. Do you understand?"

Eli narrowed his eyes and kept his lips firmly shut, defiance lingering still, despite his his downtrodden resolve.

"I asked you a question, Scoresby! You _will_ answer me!" The tip of her wand pressed against his chest, and he winced as the fabric singed. When he still didn't respond, she repeated, "_Crucio_."

As the pain rippled from his chest to the tips of his extremities, Eli found himself agreeing, struggling against the crushing weight of guilt that had begun to press down on him. While closed his eyes against the mind-numbing pain, he became faintly aware that he was finally alone. Selene had, at last, disapparated.

Later that night, as Rosie settled back against the pillows of her hospital bed, holding her newborn son to her chest with Wesley's comforting arm around her shoulders; as Maddie lightly kissed her sleeping husband awake; as Molly relived the tale of the night to Aiden (with Emma's help of course); as Eli mumbled an excuse to a livid Callie about falling asleep after listening to his message "from the captain"; as Sophie left a tearfully apologetic letter on her father's work desk, the world at last seemed to find its peace. The storm had moved on, shedding no rain upon a family that had grown so tired of the squall and clamored to find a moment of peaceful solitude. But their troubles were only beginning.

"Did you even go to St. Mungo's? What's going on? Is--"

"For the last time, Morgan, I will not check up on that wretched family for you. If you want to see your new grandson, then it's up to you to gain their trust."

"So it's a boy?" Morgan asked eagerly, stepping toward Selene with intent curiosity in her eyes. Selene sighed and sank down into an armchair in front of the fireplace. She wrinkled her nose in disgust as the back of her heel found one of Morgan's empty wine bottles beneath the chair.

"For god's sake, if I'm going to remain in this abysmal house of yours, you're going to have to keep it clean."

Morgan glanced about, her cheeks flushing faintly as she summoned the House Elf, who quickly set about tidying what Morgan had carelessly left behind.

"But you know. You can tell me! You see everything that goes on—please!" Morgan stumbled as she hurried to Selene's side, kneeling beside the chair with frantic suppliance.

"Your concern for the Scoresbys is pathetic, and I refuse to indulge in your pitiful pleading. As I said, if you want anything from them, you'll have to get it yourself."

Morgan drew herself up in indignation, glaring down at the woman beside her as she rested her hands on her hips. "You can't speak to me like that! You owe me for everything that I've done--"

"Wrong." Selene got to her feet so quickly, that Morgan took several dizzy steps back, catching herself on the bookshelf. "You are in debt to me. I've kept you from your miserable self-pity, I've saved you from the embarrassment of your sickeningly morose emotions. And I alone possess the key to the thing you most desire..."

"So when are you going to give it to me? Huh? Every day, you string me along, you boss me around, and dangle my husband's life over my head—and for what? When are you ever going to let me be with him again? You say there's a Horcrux...well, what if I don't believe you?"

"That's not your call to make. But if you continue this half-assed attempt at defiance, you will join your husband shortly." Selene drew her wand, and Morgan instantly deflated, knowing she was at a loss. She was nothing against Selene in a duel, and she knew there was no chance at inciting mercy if Selene was angry at her.

"Well, I'm giving you my house, the least you could do is consider holding up your end of the deal," she muttered, stumbling toward the door to the hall. Selene watched her go with repugnance, slipping her wand back into her pocket. After a moment, she settled back into the armchair, her eyes falling upon a scrying glass in the corner of the room, dark shapes moving beneath the surface. With a grin, Selene returned her gaze to the fireplace, content that her plan was coming together with such delightful swiftness.


	7. Playground Innocence

Chapter Six

Playground Innocence

Lily Moore was a hard worker. Throughout her time at Hogwarts, she diligently kept up with her studies in the hope that she would be top in her class, therefore securing the work ethic that would take her to the top position at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. When she abandoned her trek up the hierarchy of cranky receptionists and overworked Healers to spend more time with her family, she couldn't deny that she was a little disappointed. Treating students in the infirmary of Hogwarts just didn't give her the same thrill as dealing with the mishaps of over-zealous witches and wizards at St. Mungo's. But if there was one thing to say about Lily, it was that she seemed to have a knack for realizing just where her services were needed most.

This is why, when she caught wind that Chris was having a difficult time coping with the death of his wife, she was certain that tendering her resignation from Hogwarts was the right thing to do. Besides, with her only daughter Gracie living in New York, it would be much easier to divide her time between her husband Chase and her father. As the rest of her peers seemed to be retiring, she felt that escaping to a slower way of life was not something to be ashamed of. She deserved a break, and her father deserved company.

"Lily, you don't need to do this..."

"Do what?" Lily asked distractedly as she moved about the living room of the house in which she'd once lived many decades ago, tidying as she went.

"This," Chris repeated, stepping in front of her and putting his hands on her shoulders. She paused to look up at him, her eyebrows furrowing slightly in confusion.

"I'm just doing a bit of cleaning, Dad. It's not easy keeping up a house by yourself."

"Which isn't something you'd know a lot about, Miss Workaholic," he said jokingly, snickering. Lily merely rolled her eyes and shrugged him off, turning to straighten the afghan on the back of the couch.

"_You're_ my job now, Dad. Trust me, that leaves me with plenty of time to spend at home with Chase." She pointed her wand toward a pile of old newspapers that had been accumulating in a pile near the window, and directed them toward the fireplace.

"Time that you should be spending _relaxing_, not worrying about me," he pressed, folding his arms as he watched her.

"Stop it. You're not going to talk me out of this, no matter how much of a grumpy old man you become," she glanced over her shoulder and smirked at him. Chris laughed lightly and shook his head.

"You sound like your mother..."

Lily paused, biting her lip slightly. It wasn't exactly a rare occurrence that Chris brought up the subject of Cassie, but she could never quite get used to it. It was the same way when Maggie died several years ago, and everyone in the family was still sensitive about broaching the subject.

"I'm going to make you something for dinner, then head home, okay Dad?" she recovered, turning and starting toward the kitchen. He reached out and stopped her before she could quite get there.

"I can cook my own food, Lily," he insisted, his tone serious as he searched for her gaze.

"Yes, but I'd feel better if you'd let me see that you're eating. I know that depression can curb your app--"

"Dammit, I'm not depressed and I'm not a child." Chris' voice was so sharp, that Lily looked up at him in surprise. He looked at her sternly, and she squared her shoulders, steeling herself to be persistent. "Go home and stop worrying about me." Lily shook her head.

"I can't do that, Dad. That's like telling water to stop being wet." She reached up and gently prized his hand from her arm and held it in hers instead. "Now, I know that you don't want to admit to anyone that you need help, but I know that you're not doing well. And if you want me to keep it a secret that I'm helping you, that's fine with me, but I don't care what you say. I'm here, whether you like it or not."

The two stared at each other in silent defiance for several moments before Chris finally sighed, letting his hand drop from hers.

"Fine, but make something for yourself too. If you're going to stick around any longer, I don't want you to go home hungry."

Lily smiled gently, nodding and flicking her wand to a corner where a pile of books floated to the bookshelf against the wall and sorted themselves. "I'll only be a couple minutes. I'll call you when it's finished."

Later that night, Lily was changing into her nightclothes, looking careworn and exhausted. She glanced toward the mirror at her disheveled hair and sighed, giving up attempting to fix the bun that it was in and simply letting it down.

"In any case, I might start staying the night a couple of days a week, just to make sure that he's getting sleep too. I'm really starting to worry about him..." she turned, sitting down on the edge of the bed as Chase marked his place in the book he was reading, took off his reading glasses, and looked over at her.

"You think he's getting that bad?"

Lily shook her head, adjusting her pillows and nudging down the duvet. "I just don't know...he won't admit that he's having any trouble at all, so anything that _is_ going on, I have to see for myself."

"I'm sure everything will be fine...besides, I just got you home full-time. I've been spoiled, having you next to me every night." His smile was charming, and when she glanced toward him, she sighed, nonplussed.

"Please don't fight me on this. It's bad enough dealing with him, and he's cranky and old..."

"Well, who says I'm not?" he laughed, and she cracked a small smile.

"Your daughter, for one. She called, by the way...she said she needed to talk to you about something."

At this, Chase sighed softly, but then turned it into a cough, clearly trying to hide the sound. But Lily wasn't fooled. She looked at him quickly, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"What is it?"

Chase shook his head, coughing his eyes with his hands and rubbing his face for a moment before dropping them again. "It's nothing..."

"Don't lie to me—what's going on?" Lily sat up, turning to confront him. He looked up at her, evidently conflicted. "She's not pregnant again, is she? Surely they can't handle it with the coffee shop going the way it is..."

"No, no...it's nothing like that," he looked away, caught between keeping his daughter's confidence and conceding to his wife.

"Well?" she prompted, her voice insinuating dire consequences if he didn't open up.

Chase took in a deep breath and held it in for a moment before letting it out slowly.

"She and Jude are having...issues."

"Issues? What kind of issues? What's going on?"

Chase winced at the barrage of questions, knowing that he wouldn't be able to prevent Lily from investigating on her own now. Gracie would not be pleased.

"It's nothing, Lil. Normal spats for a married couple, especially one under financial duress."

"But they've never had issues! At least, not that I've heard about! Chase, how long has she been coming to you? When did all of this start?"

"See, I knew you were going to get upset, Lily. But I don't know when it started, and there's not a lot that we can do for them at this point--"

"Clearly you've been doing something for them!"

He looked over at her now, his expression impatient. "Do you honestly think that whatever I've said has been effective if she's still calling me?"

"Then why not come to me? She knows our marriage hasn't always been a steady one—who better to ask than her mother?"

"To be honest, Lily, she doesn't think that our situation is all that comparable to theirs. Unlike us, they work together constantly, they're around one another twenty-four hours a day. That's hardly the same as having two demanding and separate jobs."

"So what makes you the better one to confide in?"

Chase sighed, rubbing his temple with his fingertips. "Because I was the one who was around. And don't bother getting angry with me for saying it, because you're the one who wanted to know."

Lily fell silent, watching him for several moments, the reality of what he was saying boring deep into her heart. It was true, she hadn't been around for a lot of Gracie's childhood, but she had just started out at St. Mungo's. She'd gotten pregnant just before their wedding, and her whole life seemed to have started off at warp speed. Sure, she often felt guilty about choosing her career over her family, but never had she regretted it as she was beginning to do now.

"She never said anything..." she whispered after a sizable pause had passed. Her eyes were on the foot of the bed now, but she didn't see it. Her mind was lost in the past.

"Of course she didn't," Chase said, his tone gentle now as he looked over at her. "She knew how much your job meant to you, how much it meant to the family that you were working and that you were happy. Don't regret it, Lil...she turned out brilliant in the end..."

Lily took in a breath, vaguely surprised when it caught in her throat. "Evidently not, if she's unhappy in her marriage..."

"I don't think that's true," he murmured, reaching over and tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, his touch tender. "They're just going through a difficult time, and now that you know, you can be there for her as much as she needs you."

"_Does_ she need me, Chase?" She looked over at him, her eyes searching for the truth. He smiled softly, leaning forward and kissing the tip of her nose.

"Of _course_ she does. She's your daughter, you have every right and all the opportunity in the world to help her in her marriage. She values your opinion, however sparsely you choose to give it..."

Lily bit her lip, suppressing all skepticism to take comfort in his words. It was a crime that she couldn't go back in time and fix what only now became clear to her as being broken. But there was no use regretting what couldn't be rectified and as she leaned forward to kiss her husband, she made a mental note to be the one to call Gracie back first thing in the morning.

"One-two-three-four, I declare a thumb war!" Emma giggled as she squirmed to avoid Sophie's thumb, gasping and shrieking with every near miss.

"Emma, that's not fair! You've got to hold still! It's the _rules_," Sophie insisted, twisting about in retaliation.

"Nuh uh! There's no rules in war!"

"Maybe not, but there are in—thumb—wars--HAH!" Sophie exclaimed as she pressed down on Emma's thumb relentlessly, grinning as Emma yanked back her hand.

"That's not fair! You were distracting me!"

"No rules in war, remember?" Sophie grinned, glancing around the playground. It was the first sunny day in several weeks, and many families were out enjoying the sunshine. On this particular occasion, the lucky person to be babysitting Sophie, Ezra, Lucas, Emma, and Leah was Eli, who sat on a park bench by the side of the mulch-covered playground. By some happy mistake, the match the Cannons had been due to play was canceled and Callie had been adamant that Eli give Julie a break. Not wanting to incur the wrath of the woman around whom he'd been walking on eggshells ever since the night Rosie gave birth, Eli had agreed without question. He knew she would begin to suspect his sudden willingness to do whatever she asked, but he was hoping to keep her at bay until then.

"Emma, Emma! Come look at this!"

Emma paused and glanced toward Lucas, frowning slightly. "If it has scales or sharp teeth, then no, absolutely not."

Nevertheless, she ran over to meet Lucas on the other side of the playground, overcome by curiosity. Sophie smirked, watching her go, and Ezra came to join her, glancing toward the others as well. He sighed once he was standing beside her.

"I can't wait 'till we're off to Hogwarts..." he mumbled. Sophie looked over at him.

"Why?"

"Because then we'll be able to hang out with people our own age..."

"I dunno, I think I'm going to miss them. At least, I'm sure Lucas'll find someone to torment at school..." Sophie laughed, though she had to be honest and admit that she was ready to get away as well.

"Until he realizes that girls aren't so bad, and they're not impressed by wriggling animals."

Sophie laughed again, nodding. "Unfortunately for us, I don't think that'll happen until he's almost out of Hogwarts."

Ezra sighed, mockingly forlorn, and shook his head. "Pity...so many years ahead of us that _could_ have been peaceful...now ruined by Lucas's determination to gross out every girl at school."

"Sad, don't you think?"

"Depressing..."

Eli watched as the children went about their business unaware of the dangers that lie outside of the world of their little park. His mind began to wander to his own troubles. It had been a week and a half and he had not heard from the mysterious woman again. Every moment, he expected her to turn up, regardless of how often he tried to convince himself that she wouldn't. He even began to question whether the whole ordeal had actually happened, or if in fact, he _had_ fallen asleep that night and simply had an agitating dream. This certainly wasn't out of the question, as he had the tendency to catch up on sleep at the most inconvenient times. His hopes were shattered, however, when a velvet voice shook him from his reverie.

"Mesmerizing, isn't it?"

Eli jumped, looking over his shoulder, intrigued to find, not the person he had been expecting and dreading to see, but someone else entirely. The woman standing behind him had long locks of auburn hair, a darker complexion, and she was wearing muggle clothing with the emblem of a local university. His heart sank to find that her eyes were the same dark color, however, and the slow smile that was creeping across her lips reminded him chillingly of the night not long ago.

"Excuse me?" he said, unable to hide his cold, biting tone.

Her smile spread into a mirthless grin and she stepped around the bench, taking a seat beside him. She turned her gaze to the playground and nodded toward the laughing children.

"It's touching...how absorbed children tend to become in their play. How they can amuse themselves, despite the cruel world that surrounds them." Something about the way she was speaking made Eli want to get her away from his daughter, nieces, and nephew as quickly as possible.

"What do you want?" he growled, longing to end her murderous leering.

Selene glanced toward him out of the corner of her eye, laughing lightly, though he found no joy in the sound. "Touchy..."

"I don't want you near my family." With his arms folded, he clenched his hands into fists, keeping his gaze on the children he was now diligently watching, as if Selene had agents ready to swoop in and kidnap them at any moment. At this, she sighed.

"We have been over this before. If you say nothing of my presence and follow as I say, there will be no need for me to intrude on your small piece of...paradise." She smirked slowly as Leah let out a scream when Lucas made an attempt to steal a ball she'd been playing with. Emma jumped to her defense, yelling at him to give it back, but Lucas deliberately ignored them. As he started off toward the other end of the playground, Leah gave chase, running as fast as her little legs could carry her.

"You won't. You won't hurt them, you won't touch them, you won't even _think_ about them," Eli muttered in an undertone, determined not to attract attention. Selene looked at him, and though he didn't return the gaze, he could feel her eyes boring into him.

"You see, that's where the problem arises. You seem to be suffering under the delusion that you stand in a position to make demands, Scoresby. There is nothing you can do to protect those you love aside from answering to me. If I have to say that one more time, you _will_ suffer."

Eli took a deep, steadying breath, and turned to look at her at last. While she was keeping her expression light and unassuming, he could tell that she was every bit as serious as the threat she was making. He let out his breath in a rush, resigned to her presence.

"What do you want?" he repeated himself, keeping his gaze resolutely on her.

"There is an errand that I feel only you can complete for me," Selene began conversationally, looking once more at the playground. "Unfortunately, there is a time constraint."

"Errand?" he prompted. He seriously doubted that "errand" in her book was something as simple as picking up the groceries.

"Have you ever taken a life, Scoresby?"

All at once, his heart began to thud, and his gaze hardened as he watched her. "No," he said steadily. "And I don't intend--"

"Mind yourself. It's extraordinary what so-called "good" people will do when given the right stimulus."

"I don't _care_ what "stimulus" you think you have, I won't kill for you."

"Ahh, but you don't even know who it is...surely there's someone in your life you'd like to get rid of...for another family member, perhaps?"

Eli froze, his mind reeling as one man came into the crosshairs of his thoughts. He never considered himself a violent person, but when Eli thought of Callie's brother Joey, his blood ran cold. A few years ago, an incident occurred in which an inebriated Joey had hurt Rosie in the worst way possible, and since then Eli'd had to fight against the urge to take him down. It was a struggle, no doubt, but he had never considered what he might do, given the opportunity.

"Given the urge, a human will find the strength to abandon morality in order to achieve revenge," Selene spoke sagely, and Eli hated himself for seeing the logic in her words. "In such cases, murder all but loses its deplorable connotations and becomes a plausible course of action."

She looked toward him, and he immediately turned his gaze away, as if by meeting her eyes, he'd be obliging to her order.

"You _are_ capable of changing your world...at least, the part that separates right from wrong. And it's something that I shall require you to do, if you wish to keep yourself and your wife and child out of my path."

Eli's nostrils flared as he fought to keep his mouth shut, and the silence that fell between them was crushing. At last, he felt her move beside him, though she was only angling herself toward him, her knee brushing against his leg.

"But on to more pressing matters..."

He glanced toward her, surprised and wary of the sudden subject change. He nearly shuddered to see her smiling, and dreaded to hear what she had to say next.

"A recent change in staff at Hogwarts has spiked my curiosity..." she began, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "The matron in the infirmary...your aunt, I believe..."

Eli sighed impatiently, looking away again. "What about her?"

"She doesn't seem the type to give up on her goals so easily. Why has she left?"

Eli narrowed his eyes, hating how much she seemed to know about his family. It was as if she could see them at their most vulnerable, even get into their minds. "How do you know about all that?"

"That is irrelevant; I asked you a question," she pressed, and he sighed.

"She's quit her job at Hogwarts so she can spend more time at home."

Selene was silent, waiting for him to go on. Growing anxious in the silence, he continued.

"Her father...my...great-uncle...he isn't doing well, so she's helping him get along. Listen, I don't know why you want--" Eli began, but when he looked around, the seat beside him was empty. He blinked, surprised that she had gone so soon, and while he expected to feel relief, and overwhelming wave of dread washed over him. Her absence now became the thing he feared, for when she wasn't in sight, there was no way of knowing what she was plotting or to whom she might appear next.

Meanwhile, Sophie had been watching the scene unfold out of the corner of her eye. She was not unacquainted with the whims of adults in love. Her mother had died when she was two years old, leaving her father Landon alone with a small child to look after and a demanding job to keep on top of. It wasn't until Sophie was seven that he began to consider the idea of pursuing another woman, and even then he had been reluctant. But Sophie had watched as Landon courted Ezra's mother Claire; she saw the anxious excitement with which he sought to impress her. And to Sophie's young eyes, it almost seemed that a similar emotion was plaguing Eli, though she had no idea who the woman sitting beside him was. She found the way he seemed to be reacting to her words strange, and it wasn't until she heard a voice beside her that she brought herself to look away.

"Soph?"

Sophie shook her head quickly, trying to dislodge thoughts that were invading her mind despite herself. She turned to see Ezra sitting on the swing beside her. "Hmm?"

"Everything alright?" he asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Yeah! Yeah, I...I was just thinking. Anyway, want to get everyone in on a game of tag?" she smiled hopefully, wanting him to drop the subject as she had. The less thinking she did about what she'd seen, the better.

"Sure..." Ezra said slowly, and Sophie knew she wouldn't be able to escape talking about it later.

However, no sooner than the children had started up a game of tag, Eli called them all together and announced that they would be going home. Sophie met his gaze as he took them all by the hand, but he disapparated before she could do much more than blink.

Approximately 3,460 miles away, the sun was rising on New York City. While most people would have preferred being asleep, Gracie Harrison was wide awake, preparing to face another hectic day. Her thoughts swam as she turned chairs right side up and set them on the floor, wiped down the bar, and began setting coffee to brew. She hated days when she woke up unhappy, and she was loathe to admit that these days were happening more and more frequently. With Noah and Naomi studying at the Salem Institute of Magic in Massachusetts, she was alone with Jude in their loft above the Galleria, a coffee shop they'd taken over at the request of its previous owner. She never thought she would begrudge this fact, but she missed the presence of their children, as they gave her an excuse to hide the melancholy under which she had been laboring for the past few weeks.

She was so consumed by contemplation that she was startled to hear the strumming of a guitar from across the room. When she spun around, suppressing a gasp, she spotted Jude sitting on the edge of the raised platform that served as a small stage surrounded by sectional couches. She let out her breath in a sigh of relief and continued wiping mugs clean with a rag.

"I wish you wouldn't scare me like that," she said softly, though Jude looked up at her words, clearly hearing her in the echoing emptiness of the hall.

"Sorry," he began, pressing his hand across the bridge of his guitar, instantly muffling the reverberating notes. "You just looked so preoccupied, I didn't want to bother you."

Gracie bit her lip and looked away, shrugging. "I don't know why I'm up this early. I doubt anyone's going to turn up..."

There was a small awkward silence in which Jude set his guitar down on its stand and got to his feet, casting a glance around the empty chairs and tables. He looked toward the windows, the street beyond bustling with life despite the early hour. It was true, it was unusual for the coffee shop to be so empty this early in the morning.

"Since when did you become such a pessimist?" he joked, looking back at her and starting across the room toward the bar. He was grinning slightly, his expression playful. "Just wait, this place'll be bustling in no time..."

Gracie sighed again, unamused by his attempts to cheer her up. "I'm not being pessimistic, Jude. Sooner or later, we've got to face what's happening..."

Jude fell silent once more, knowing that she had more on her mind that obviously needed to get out.

"It used to be, we had to get up at three just so we could beat the morning rush! Now, we don't even see our first customer until late in the morning, sometimes even after noon. If we don't do something, we're going to go under." She looked up at him seriously, her voice carrying a hint of chastising.

Jude sighed softly and stepped around the counter, reaching up and resting a hand on his wife's back gently. "It's going to turn around. You'll see...businesses always have their lulls..."

"Yes, but we've been in a lull for weeks now! We've had to let go of most of our staff because we weren't making enough to break even! We can't go on denying the fact that we're struggling, Jude. If things keep up like this, we won't be able to afford to send Noah and Naomi to school..." She looked genuinely worried, and for some reason Jude couldn't get rid of the suspicion that some of the blame was being placed on him.

"So we'll change things around, we'll give people a reason to keep coming to us...this isn't the worst thing in the world, Grace. And we'll get through it..."

"With what money?" she cried, truly dismayed. "We can't afford to hire more entertainment, we've already had to dip into our savings, there aren't many choices left!"

"We'll figure something out--"

"We've been saying that for weeks. There's not a lot we could do besides..." at this, she faltered, watching him for a moment before turning to the counter, becoming very intent on cleaning the mugs.

"Besides what?"

"You know what..." Gracie said softly, her voice almost a whisper. Jude's expression suddenly turned stoney.

"No, Gracie. We've been over this a hundred times, I'm _not_ selling my mum's paintings."

"We have to make sacrifices, Jude!" Gracie exclaimed, throwing down the rag and turning to look at him, exasperated. "I've already sold everything I can..."

"Those paintings were my mother's! Just because she's gone--"

"--Means she won't know the difference anyway," she interrupted, an uncharacteristic harshness in her tone. "I'm sorry, but I just don't see what other option we have..."

"No," he shook his head, turning away and heading back around the counter. "No, we're not having this discussion."

"Yes we _are_!" Gracie insisted, following after him. "We can't keep walking away like this!" She reached out, grabbing his arm to stop him, and he obliged, but refused to look at her. "I _know_ those paintings mean a lot to you..." she began, her voice tender once more. "I do...but we've got to do _some_thing. Please, support me on this..."

Jude pulled his arm away from her. "I can't. I won't get rid of her work. It'd be a piss-poor way to repay her after all she did for us--"

"No, it wouldn't! Don't you think she'd have us making a living rather than scraping just to survive? Please, Jude...see reason..." she implored, her hopes rising as he turned to look at her.

"Gracie..." he began, closing the gap between them, his hands settling on either side of her face. "We _will_ get through this...but you're asking too much. My answer is no. We'll find another way to come up with the money."

At this, Gracie's heart sank and she shook her head, knocking his hands away and pulling back. "I can't keep doing this. You have to grow up sometime. You have to realize that there's more to life than paintings and music. We have responsibilities, we have children. If you're not going to help provide for them, I'll just have to find a way to do it myself." With her last words landing bitterly cold upon Jude's conscience, she stepped around him and started across the room to the lifts that would take her up to their loft.

Jude stood, waiting for the doors to shut behind her, before banging his fist against the countertop in frustration. Before he could say anything, the bell above the front door tinkled, though the sound was hollow. Taking a deep breath, Jude turned to face the first customer of the day, forcing a smile that did little to conceal the turmoil reeling through his mind.


	8. Interlude Letters

Interlude

Letters

September 1  
Dear Amy,  
You wouldn't believe how lonely the dorm is without you. Even with three other girls, I feel like I've lost my best mate. I'm not sure I can go every day without talking to you, so I think I'll start sending you letters whenever I can.  
Second year at Hogwarts is a lot like the first, except you don't have to ride the boats or get Sorted. Actually, it's been rather dull so far, given that there's nothing to do. Sophie and Ezra won't be coming to school until next year, so it's just Nicky, Alice, and me. Anyway, enough about me. You're the one with the exciting life. How is Africa? I bet it's a lot warmer. I'm actually getting rained on here, so sorry if this letter turns up blotchy.  
How was the flight? Where are you staying? What kind of research are your parents doing? How is Jim? Alice was asking about him. Or--well, okay, that's a lie. Alice doesn't do a lot of asking unless you initiate it first, but I know she'd love to receive some news. Maybe you can prod him into writing a letter to her himself. I know that would make her day. At least...I think. I don't know what Alice likes, really.  
Anyway, I'm only asking questions so you have something to respond to. Writing letters is sometimes awkward because I never know what to say. It's like...if we had a phone or something, we'd be able to have a two-minute conversation and cover more ground than if we sent letters for a month. But seeing as how Hogwarts has no electricity, and I'm not sure how you would get a telephone out in the Savanna...we'll try this.  
Sorry, I'm rambling. I'll let you get on with your day. I think I might go pester Nicky or something.  
Cheers!  
Hannah

* * *

September 3  
Dear Hannah,  
Thanks for the letter! I was wondering how I was going to keep contact with the outside world. I think if I had to stay here trapped under these mosquito nets all day with no one to talk to, I'd likely go mad.  
Africa is...Africa, I suppose. School doesn't start for another month because of the monsoon season, so I've been stuck in the hotel we're staying at for the past few days. It's a bit dreadful, to be honest...I never did like being confined to one room with Jim for extended periods of time. He's taken to changing my name recently. It's this game he plays where, whenever he addresses me, he calls me something different, and if I don't respond, he gets to pinch me. Stupid, I know.  
In a couple of days, though, we're flying to Botswana and staying for about a week. My parents are doing research on the wildlife there, as it's one of the only places where the environment has been perfectly preserved. Jim and I are going on one of the safaris, so that'll be interesting.  
As for the flight, let me say one thing: Thank god for apparition. I swear, if I had to take a plane everywhere or ride in a taxi, I would go absolutely mental. I mean...not that we can apparate yet, but at least our parents can, you know?  
And anyway, I agree with the whole letter-writing thing. I was never really good at keeping pen-pals, so you're going to have to bug me to keep writing. Although, I'll be abroad a couple of weeks at a time, so at least I'll have some small excuse. If you don't hear from me for a few days, send another post, and if I'm in a place that I can write, I will. Once I start going to school, it'll get better, I promise. But I DO want to keep talking to you.  
So I suppose I should ask YOU questions, then. Aside from boring, how's Hogwarts? What classes are you taking? Is the weather still dreary? Have you lot tried sneaking into Hogsmeade again yet? You ought to send me something if you do, there aren't a lot of Honeydukes' out this way.  
Alright, Jim's trying to get my attention (he's calling me Bernice this go-round), so I'd better hop off. Tell Nicky I said hi.  
Totsiens! (Goodbye)  
-Amy

* * *

September 18

Dear Amy,

Oh my god, you'll never believe what happened today. Nicky got his first detention EVER. I know, crazy, right? I don't think he's ever done anything wrong, and he swears he didn't do anything this time. But he was in Potions class and apparently Professor Reilly caught him talking or cheating or something, and she gave him detention! So he has to go to her office on Saturday night and clean out old ingredient vials or something, it's so crazy. I'm still reeling and he told me this morning. I just wouldn't have expected...

Anyway, Africa sounds fun. I think it'd be maddening being cooped up with Jim, though. And what's this about him calling you by different names? That's so weird.

But yeah, it's raining. Still. Over two straight weeks of not being able to hang out on the grounds, and I'm about to go mad. Aside from apparently goofing off in Potions, Nicky's been keeping to himself a lot which means I pretty much don't have anyone to talk to. Alice is sulky, and it's just downright boring. We haven't been able to sneak out to Hogsmeade either, because no one feels like going, especially in all this poor weather. Ugh. I wish they were as adventurous as you.

I'm taking the usual classes. We won't start getting more choices until next year, I think, so it's all Potions, Herbology, Transfigurations...that kind of stuff. I was thinking about going out for the Quidditch team, though. I mean, I know last year I talked about how dangerous it is and stuff, but I don't know...if I don't find a hobby, I'm going to go absolutely crazy. Before long, I'll succumb to Gobstones if I have to...

What kind of classes are you gonna have at your school? I bet they're loads different than the stuff they teach here. Isn't voodoo big in Africa? That'd be interesting...though I always thought it was Muggles pretending to have magic powers. Let me know about that.

Oh my god, something's about to happen. I think Alice wants to sneak down to the kitchens, and it's after hours! Finally, some adventure! I better send this off before she changes her mind. I'll write later!

Cheers!

Hannah

* * *

October 12

Dear Hannah,

Sorry I haven't written in a long time. We went on that safari a couple of days after I told you, and then we were moving from hotel to hotel so it took a while for me to get your letter. Then the monsoon season hit its peak, so all post was delayed and it just didn't seem worth it trying to get a letter out when it was going to take a week for it to get out of the country anyway.

I can't believe Nicky got detention! It's kind of funny, to be honest, and I wish I'd been there to see it. What happened when he met with her? Did she make him clean out gross stuff? I want to know! (If only for purely sadistic reasons. Woops...I'm not bitter, I swear.)

I'm at school finally. It's great because I don't have to worry about my room flooding or giant flesh-eating mosquitoes getting into my bed and stinging me to death in my sleep. Also, Jim's dormitory is all the way at the other end of the campus too, which is nice. It's a little weird, going to school in something other than a castle. The campus is split into different buildings here, so if I want to go somewhere, I have to go outside for everything. And trekking through the mud almost isn't worth it sometimes.

The classes are pretty much the same as Hogwarts, except with an African spin. If that makes any sense. Yeah, Voodoo's pretty big here, and actually the idea that its origin is Muggle-based is a common misconception. Just like America and the Salem Witch Trials, all that magic and stuff really was us. Voodoo was an ancient aboriginal form of magic, but Africa doesn't have as strict privacy laws as we do, so Muggles got wind of it pretty early on. Of course, our version is a bit more involved, but that's to be expected, I guess.

The great thing is, because of the lax privacy thing, we can actually do magic outside of school. So when our parents take us out for excursions, we get to use magic when they aren't looking. I turned Jim's hair a violent shade of magenta the other day, and it was hilarious. Took him forever to figure out the counter-jinx.

Well, it's almost time for class. Talk to you later!

-Amy

* * *

October 19

Amy!

I was so glad to hear from you—I'd worried you were eaten by a lion or something! It's good to know you're still alive (albeit hunted by mosquitoes).

So, Nicky's detention turned out to be a complete bust. She didn't make him do much of anything. He said she mostly talked the whole time, but he didn't really know what she was talking about. I don't know, it's weird. He wouldn't give me a lot of the details.

In any case, first Hogsmeade visit of the year tomorrow! Nicky and Alice are going, so I think I'm going to sneak in with them. I mean, I can pretend I'm thirteen, right? I'm mature for my age...right? Right?! Hehehe.

I'll definitely be sure to pick up something from Honeydukes and send it your way.

That's so awesome about the underage magic! I wish things were like that this way...what I wouldn't give to hex Emma's mouth shut over fall break...

Speaking of which, do you get to come home for any holidays? If you do, you should definitely visit! I don't like not getting to see you every day. We're going to have so much to catch up on!

Sorry, I have to cut this letter short. There's this boy who's...you know what? I'll get into it later. I've gotta go.

Cheers!

Hannah

* * *

October 21

Dear Hannah,

How dare you! Your letter was such a cliffhanger!! I want to know what's happening! You've got to tell me! Ugh, I hate not being able to talk on the phone, at the very least. It always takes so long to get answers.

I'm going to be honest, I'm kind of jealous of you. Every time you finish a letter, something interesting's happening to you. I'm just late for class or some other nonsense. God, it's boring here.

How was Hogsmeade? I haven't gotten any packages from you, but I expect one soon!

Anyway, no I don't think we'll be coming back to Britain for holidays. At least...my parents haven't said anything, which is kind of frustrating. I swear, I'm keeping up with you more than I'm keeping up with them. I really want to come home for fall break. I want to see the rest of my family, and you guys of course. Jim's missing Alice, too, but don't tell her that. He doesn't want her to know, because he knows she'll probably fly off the handle. But I think he really wants to send her a letter. They left on bad terms with each other, and if you ask me...I think he hopes she doesn't date anyone else while he's gone. At least...he hasn't been looking at any girls here. Which is a little sad, in my opinion.

Speaking of which....is Nicky seeing anyone? I know it's probably none of my business, and I have no right to ask, but you understand, right? I'm just curious.

Anyway, you're probably too busy to read a huge letter, so I'll go ahead and stop writing. And go to dinner. Then go to bed. And wake up to another boring, uneventful day.

See ya.

-Amy

* * *

October 25

Dear Amy,

I totally forgot to pick something up at Honeydukes. I'm so sorry! But I've got to run. I'll write again in a day or so, I promise!

Cheers!

Hannah

* * *

October 27

Hannah

Wow....could you have been any more succinct in that letter?

Anyway, it looks like we're vacationing in Tanzania for fall break. Great, more mosquitoes. I miss Hogwarts. And...erm...I don't really know what else to say.

Write me back soon? Please?

-Amy

* * *

October 30

Dear Amy,

Hi!! I'm sorry, I've just been so busy lately, and every time I wanted to write a letter, something else came up and it's just...it's so...

Okay, I can't keep it from you any longer...

I have a boyfriend!!! His name is Drake and...oh my goodness. Where do I begin? He's a Slytherin...and he's a Fourth Year. But don't judge! Please, don't judge. He doesn't act like he's above anyone or anything...or maybe he does, but not to me. He's really sweet and charming and I met him in the library, so he can't be that bad, right? He's studious!

So I got to know him because he was always turning up at the library, right...whenever I went to study, I'd see him out of the corner of my eye, or he'd be picking out a book from the shelf in front of me. But he just kept turning up. Like, I don't know how he did it, but every time I went...he was there! Oh gosh, am I making him sound creepy? He's not creepy! He just has great timing!

Anyway, so we started talking after like the fourth time he showed up when I was there...and, well...we hit it off! He plays for the Quidditch team (Beater) and he really likes Defense Against the Dark Arts, which is GREAT because I need help in that class. He's really into some of the things I like, too, and we always have these spectacular conversations...

Oh Amy, he's just great. I can't even tell you how great he is. Of course, Nicky was a little suspicious (and still is, I think) but he's just being overprotective. I'm sure he'd do the same thing to Sophie sor you/s but he means well.

I don't know, I don't care if anyone says anything against him, I really like him! I'm sure when you meet him, you'll like him too. Are you sure you can't come home for the holidays? That'd be the perfect time!!

Anyway, sorry...I had to gush! And also, I've got to run. I'm meeting Drake in the library in half an hour, and I want to be there before he turns up. Just nonchalant, you know. ;) Talk to you later!

Cheers

Hannah

* * *

November 4

Dear Hannah,

That's really great. I'm glad you're happy. He sounds like a nice guy.

Unfortunately, I still can't come home for fall break. My parents are really adamant about staying in Africa, and I don't think they'd budge just so I could come home and see my best friend's boyfriend.

Anyway, things have been dreadfully uneventful here. No Drakes in my life, I'm afraid. Jim finally wrote to Alice, though. Hasn't heard back, and I'm kinda doubtful that he will. I hope she sends him something, though. And I'm still waiting on that Honeydukes. Next time you go, please remember me. Maybe I ought to send you a Howler on the day of, just to make sure...

But yeah. Good to know you're having fun. I'm stuck in hell. But I'll talk to you later.

-Amy

* * *

November 7

Are you mad at me?

Hannah

* * *

November 10

Amy? (p.s. I've sent you a box of chocolate frogs and acid pops from Honeydukes! Hope they didn't melt in the awful African heat!)

Hannah

* * *

November 16

Hannah,

I'm not mad at you. But I can't write, because I'm in Tanzania.

Thanks for the package.

-Amy


	9. Hindsight

Chapter Seven

Hindsight

_Regrets are hard to live with, and oftentimes people look back on the past with a longing desire to change what they cannot, to right some wrong they feel they've bestowed upon the world. Unfortunately for my family, this phenomenon was not uncommon. The most painful feeling is the regret of being unable to foresee a perfectly preventable catastrophe, and the aftermath that ensues._

Lily was feeling uneasy as she turned over on the couch in the living room of her childhood home. She had been unable to get comfortable all night, and she was certain it had little to do with the age of the furniture. Something was troubling her, but for all her efforts, she couldn't pinpoint what.

After several moments of fidgeting, she opened her eyes and glanced around the dark room. Nothing was out of place, she'd made sure of that before she'd settled down to sleep. But she still could not shake the feeling that something could go desperately wrong. A thought struck her and she sat up, brushing the hair from her face.

_"You're going to be gone all night?" asked a disappointed Chase, his face falling as he watched his wife gather her things._

_"I'll be back first thing in the morning, I promise. I just want to make sure he's getting a full night's sleep."_

_"What have you been doing the last few times you've slept over there, then?"_

_"Chase..." Lily began with a sigh, stopping what she was doing to turn and look at him. "I'm not budging. I'll be back in the morning..." she reached out and took his hand in hers, "I promise," she repeated. She paused, meeting his gaze, and a look of vague alarm swept across her face. "What's wrong?"_

_Chase shook his head, taking up her other hand as well and squeezing them both. "I just don't think you should go."_

_"But why?" Lily pressed. "I've been helping him for a couple of weeks now, I know he's grateful for it."_

_"I was thinking..." he sighed, turning away his gaze to look around the room before glancing down at her again. "No one ever really investigated into what happened at Aiden and Molly's house the day of Rosie's baby shower...you remember, Julie told us. Someone planted an exploding gift, and..."_

_"And what? You're afraid that's going to happen to me?" she raised an eyebrow incredulously. "No one in this world has any reason to want to hurt my dad. And besides, that attack was poorly executed, if you ask me. Everyone got out alive..."_

_"Which is why I think nobody looked into it." His voice rose slightly, and his grip on her hands tightened. "Aiden and Molly have been so preoccupied with rebuilding their house, everyone else was concerned about sending their kids to school...it got overlooked!"_

_"Chase, you're being ridiculous—and paranoid. Nothing's going to happen to me—it's a Tuesday, for god's sake!"_

But Chase had been reluctant to let her go, until she nearly resorted to threatening him at wandpoint. He couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling that something was going to happen to her, and now that she was alone in the darkness, she was beginning to feel what he'd sensed. Despite the fact that Chris lay snoring a couple of rooms away, she felt isolated. The hair at the back of her neck prickled, and she debated whether or not to stay cozied under her blanket or stand and investigate the house.

A dog barked outside and she remained rooted to her spot, looking quickly at the window. The curtains were drawn, and despite the privacy they allowed, she suddenly hated the feeling of not being able to see beyond them, certain she would find a shadow lurking up the garden path.

_I'm just letting my imagination run away with me,_ she assured herself, but was that footsteps she was hearing on the pavement outside? The rustle of a cloak, the drawing of a wand...surely her ears were not astute enough to detect such subtle movement. Nevertheless, she was now convinced that someone was outside, and her hand inched toward the bag resting at the foot of the couch. A few seconds later found her standing with wand in hand, her eyes on the foyer.

Nothing happened. The silence resumed, and she almost laughed aloud. She, too, was paranoid, and she felt ridiculous standing in her nightgown, eyes wide with alarm. Slowly, she sank back onto the couch, her grip relaxing ever so slightly on the wand in her hand.

All at once, the room was filled with light.

Lily cried out in surprise, jumping to her feet again and stumbling around the coffee table. The front door was blasted from its hinges and just as quickly as it had appeared, the flash of light was gone. But someone was stepping across the threshold, deliberately avoiding the shattered remains of the door, and simultaneously, two figures burst from the doorway leading to the kitchen. Lily felt a determined hand clamp over her mouth, and her wand was wrenched from her own hand as her wrists were bound together behind her back.

"Well, well, well..." a voice from the foyer, as soft as silk but as cold as ice, drifted to Lily's ears, despite the fact that shew as making a desperate attempt to scream as she struggled against her captors. "Look what we have here..."

The lights on the end tables flickered into life, and Lily was awarded an illuminated view of a woman making her way across the room. Long waves of dark hair cascaded from beneath a hood that obscured the top half of her face. But Lily was perfectly able to see the self-satisfied smile crossing the woman's lips as she twirled her wand between slender fingers.

"I half expected you to put up a fight, Scoresby...but then, I suppose you felt your fighting days were over. Understandable, of course, but foolish..." Selene stopped when she'd reached Lily, who was struggling more viciously at the taunting tone of Selene's words.

A noise from the room down the hall made Selene stop and glance over her shoulder. When she looked back, she nodded to the other figure in the room, the one not currently keeping hold of Lily. The person, a man from what Lily could tell, hurried past them into the hallway, disappearing into the dark. Selene once again turned her attention to Lily.

"This will be very simple. Give me the answer I desire, and you will be set free. Do you think you can do that?" Her tone was light, almost pleasant, but Lily refused to be deceived. She twisted her wrists, kicking backwards at her captor, who did not relent. Selene sighed, her wand stopping mid-twirl. "I was hoping this would be quick...ah well, if that's how you want to carry on..."

She snapped, and Lily felt her legs buckle beneath her. She fell to her knees, the bonds on her wrists tightening, but her mouth suddenly unobstructed.

"What do you want?" she asked, surprising herself as her voice was forceful yet pleading. Slowly, she raised her eyes and from her position on the floor, she could just make out the features of the woman's face. The sight sent a chill through to the deepest pit of her stomach.

Before Selene could answer, there was a tussle in the hallway that made the two women look up. Chris was being dragged from his bedroom and into the living room by the man Selene had sent after him. From what Lily could tell, his hands were being held behind his back as well, but no attempts were made to stifle him.

"Get your hands off me! Who do you think you--" he stopped when he spotted his daughter. "Lily? What's going on? What have they done to y--"

"Silence, please," Selene all but purred, and at once the protests stopped, though Chris's mouth continued to move. The spell had a chilling effect, as Lily watched the expression on her father's face morph from indignant to outraged, though she was unable to hear what he was saying. "Now..." Selene began again, turning back to Lily.

"Until recently, you have been employed at Hogwarts School, correct?"

Lily narrowed her eyes, her hands working fruitlessly at the bindings behind her back. "Yes..." she answered begrudgingly.

Selene resumed twirling the wand between her fingertips, but Lily had no doubt that at any second, it could be trained on her. "I want to know what kind of security now guards the castle."

"What?!" Lily exclaimed. "I don't know that! There are the usual spells and enchantments, but no one knows for certain...no one but Alex!"

Selene sighed, the wand stilling in her hand. "How I hoped I wouldn't have to do this..." she drawled in a bored voice, pointing the wand lazily at Lily. "_Crucio!_"

Lily doubled over, crying out in pain, her entire body aflame with pain. Chris's struggle became more fierce as Lily's screams filled the room. But just as quickly as she'd cast the spell, Selene flicked her wand and the effects subsided.

"Don't make me ask again..."

"I'm telling you, _I don't know!_ What good would it do if everyone knew?" Lily's voice was desperate now, etched with pain.

"You're family...he's confided in you, surely. You're not doing anyone favors by withholding information, Scoresby. You're only making it harder on your father to witness..."

Lily took in a deep, shuddering breath, forcing her gaze upward to meet that of her attacker. "If I knew..." her eyes flickered to Chris, guilt besotting her expression, "I would tell you..."

Selene raised her wand again, but Lily cut across her before she could say anything.

"--But only because, even if you knew every one of Hogwarts' secrets, you'd never succeed in taking over. And if you think bullying employees is going to get you what you want..."

"Oh, one way or another, you're going to give me what I want. You can be assured of that..." Selene's sudden malicious smile caused Lily's blood to run cold.

Before Lily could reply, there was a tremendous commotion behind Selene as Chris broke free, charging forward. His hands still bound behind his back, he rammed his shoulder into Selene, sending her stumbling sideways. She wheeled around, her wand nothing but a blur as she pointed it at Chris.

"ENOUGH," she cried, ill intent in her eyes. Lily clambered to her feet.

"_No!_"

Selene glanced over her shoulder, one corner of her lips turning up in a sadistic smile.

"No?" she repeated, her voice a silken caress. "Very well..." She turned, flicking her wand lazily in Chris' direction. "_Stupefy!_"

Lily watched, her heart drumming a fast cadence against her chest, as her father fell to the ground with a dull _thud!_ As Selene turned her wand upon her instead, her face was a plane of unmasked fear.

"Courageousness will be the downfall of your family, Scoresby. It's a pity you won't be able to relay the message..." Selene raised her wand and Lily held her breath, squeezing her eyes shut. She was at once filled with the overwhelming notion that everything was drawing to an abrupt end. Her fight with Chase seemed so inconsequential, and in that moment, she desperately wished that she could go back and apologize. The thought that she would never see her daughter and grandchildren again gnawed at her like an angry wound. She opened her mouth to protest, but realized it would be futile. Her fate was decided, and in her final moments, she was coming to accept that.

Lily's last thought as the room was filled with blinding green centered on her family, whom she had at times neglected, but never failed to love with every fiber of her being.

The news of Lily's death traveled quickly, and by the next morning, Chris' house was filled with people. While they weren't unwelcome, he desperately sought the solitude of an empty room. The rest of the family, however, felt that it was best he should not be left alone. They seemed to think that, with the recent deaths of two important women in his life, Chris would do something extreme.

"We have two whole floors that are empty in our house, Chris," Julie was saying as she attempted to coax Chris into moving. "You're more than welcome...you'd be no trouble at all..."  
He gave a noncommittal nod, but said nothing. Julie sighed softly and stood, glancing around the room for her husband, who'd also taken up the silent grieving approach. In truth, the only person seeming to do much talking was Maddie.

"I just can't believe there wasn't an inquiry...the moment someone broke in, there should have been an Auror here," she was muttering heatedly to Adam, frowning.

"You know it doesn't work like that," Adam replied reasonably. "A report has to be made before any of you know to investigate--"

"But what about all the charms protecting this place?" Her voice began to rise. "No one should have been able to get in. What about our home? If it's so easy to bust down a door, then who's to say that any of us are protected?"

"It's all a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time...and charms fade, they expire. If Chris wasn't keeping them up..." he trailed off, noticing that some were beginning to look their way. "Anyway, Maddie..." he rested his hand reassuringly against her back, drawing her into a hug, "Hindsight is always twenty-twenty. I know it doesn't help, but there isn't much we can do now--"

"There isn't much we can do?!" she repeated incredulously, taking a small step away and looking up at him. "Our _lives_ depend on what we do now! We can't let this happen again—we have to take measures, we have to be careful!"

"--But we can't be paranoid."

"_Paranoid??_"

Adam sighed, reaching up and running his fingers through his hair. He knew it would do no good, trying to convince Maddie to calm down. The tension in the room was rising quickly as the reality of the situation began to sink in. They were all vulnerable, caught in the crosshairs of a seemingly invisible threat.

"Whoever did this was targeting the family," Landon spoke in undertones to Claire, watching as Aiden scrutinized the spot in front of the hearth that everyone else seemed to be avoiding: the spot where Lily's body had been found.

"But who would want to attack your family?" Claire asked, her voice shaking as Landon considered an answer. He shook his head slowly.

"I don't know...we've had enemies before, but they've all disappeared." He tore his gaze from Aiden, his thoughts drifting unpleasantly to the past. It had been so long since the Death Eater Adrian had torn his own small family apart. In the years ensuing, he'd spent so much of his time rebuilding what he'd lost, and he couldn't imagine what he would do if he were sent once more into that spiraling void of despair and doubt. At once, he thought of Sophie, sitting at home with Claire's son Ezra. He had insisted that she stay behind, distancing her from this atmosphere of loss.

"Should we check on the kids?" Claire's voice dragged him from his thoughts, and he looked to her quickly. "I was just thinking...what Maddie said is true...how much store can we set in protective charms, anyway?"

Landon nodded, not wanting to consider how he would feel if they were to return to find their house in shambles. Saying a quick goodbye to the people he met on the way to the door, he stepped outside with Claire and the two of them disapparated without a backwards glance.

The feeling of dismay seemed to permeate the room as plans for an investigation were slated to last weeks. It seemed that evidence was slim, and wild half-hearted suspicions were thrown about in muttered discussions. Amidst hopeless, stricken expressions, one man sat with a look of sickened agitation on his face.

"Eli?"

Callie's soft voice did little more than make Eli jump in his seat as if he'd been faintly startled.

"Hmm?"

"I think I'm going to take Leah home..."

"Right."

"Are you coming?"

"In a bit."

"Eli?"

"I have something to do, first."

Callie paused, watching her husband closely, attempting to gauge his expression. She shifted Leah on her hip and knelt down beside his chair.

"Please don't think you can take matters into your own hands--"

"It's not that," he snapped.

"I know you feel that you should do something, but you could get hurt--"

"Dammit, Callie. I said I won't." He turned to look at her finally, and she balked, stricken by the determination in his eyes. After a moment, she nodded, fighting hard against the temptation to purse her lips in disapproval.

"I'll see you at home, then," she said, with a note of finality. As she left, Eli let out his breath slowly, turning to look back at the spot before the hearth. His thoughts were racing and he fought to recount every detail of the conversation he'd had with Selene at the playground.

_"But on to more pressing matters..."_

She'd asked about Lily. He'd let it slip that she was helping Chris, it was his fault she was attacked...if he'd only kept his mouth shut--

A thought suddenly struck him. If he'd kept his mouth shut, what would she have done to him? The purpose of their conversation was so that she could obtain information. Information about his willingness to commit murder...his dedication to protecting his family...

Well, he'd done a pretty piss-poor job on that so far. He'd said too much, and now a member of his family was dead. All at once, he could no longer stand being in a room surrounded by the people who loved him. He had to leave, he had to _do_ something.

He stood, fists clenched at his sides, and made for the door. Maddie turned just as he was about to step into the foyer.

"Eli? What are you doing?" she asked, and he winced at the implication in her voice. They were too much alike. She could see that he intended to do something, and if he knew his sister, she'd want to come along.

"I'm going home," he lied, glancing out the window rather than face her gaze. "I don't want Callie and Leah to be alone."

"Yeah, right. I know that look." She paused, glancing over Eli's shoulder into the living room before quickly returning her gaze to meet his. She reached up, pulling him into the foyer and spoke in hushed tones. "You know something, don't you?"

Eli paused, his gaze on the door, only a few inches away, yet while he was caught in Maddie's grip, it may as well have been a mile. After a moment, he looked over at her and was surprised to find, not aggressive fervor, but pleading in her eyes. It was strange, considering how she'd reacted to Maggie's death, taking off in an attempt to track down Adrian as quickly as she could.

"I don't, Maddie," he lied, shaking his head. "I just can't be here right now. Not with everyone...not with Dad..." They both glanced into the living room, their eyes simultaneously landing on Ben, who was standing across the room, his grief-stricken face sending a wave of guilt crashing through Eli. When he turned back to his sister, he saw that she was holding her breath. She looked at him and nodded, releasing her grip of his arm and smoothing the wrinkles in his jacket.

"You should be with Callie, anyway...I'll probably drag Adam out of here too in a bit..." her voice was gentle, and when Eli finally tore himself away from her, he stepped onto the front porch. The sun was debating whether or not it wanted to peek out of the clouds, and the breeze was chilled. It was a perfectly normal day, barring all that had happened, a mockery of the turmoil brewing in the house he'd just left.

Swiftly, he descended the front steps, but when he came to the bottom, he realized he didn't know where to go. He had no idea where Selene spent her free time, and she seemed to turn up when he was least expecting her. Surely she would keep hidden when she realized he was coming after her. Nevertheless, he had to try. The moment before he disapparated, he made up his mind where he was going to try first. It was a stretch, a wild stab in the dark, but he had to try.

The park was teeming with the excited cries of children, the gently scolding warnings of nannies and mothers, and Eli realized with a sharp drop of his stomach that this was just an ordinary day in the lives of those around him. Not one of these ordinary people was burdened with the news he'd received that morning, and it made the fury within him blaze.

Gritting his teeth, he looked around, spotting the bench where Selene had appeared before him. Sitting upon it now were a mother and child, the latter around the age of two and his heart squeezed painfully as for a brief second, he thought it was Callie and Leah. But as he stepped closer, he began to see the details of the woman's face, and she was nothing like his wife. The girl had blonde hair, not brown, and she was chattering to her mother in a foreign tongue.

Veering left, he stepped behind a large oak tree and looked around. The clearing before him was vacant; the equipment for a cricket left abandoned was the only thing filling the space.

"Selene....goddammit, Selene answer me," he murmured aloud, hardly aware that his thoughts were escaping through his lips. He began to pace, his fingernails digging into the palms of his hand. "Selene...wherever you are, I know you can hear me..."

He paused. She _could_ hear him...or at the very least, see him. How else would she have appeared to him before? It was a chilling, unsettling thought, and he knew it was true. If she was paying any attention, she could see him now, preparing to curse her the moment she arrived.

"I'll hunt you down if I have to..." he growled, but a long silence was the only reply. He was seething now, prepared to give up and try another location. But just before he could disapparate, a small _pop!_ to his left made him turn.

And just like that, she was standing there, a hand on her hip, looking bored. She wasn't wearing robes, but her dress of deep navy blue ran down to her ankles, and if this didn't make her seem out of place, her extraordinary beauty must have. It took all the restraint that Eli had not to curse her into oblivion.

"You bellowed?" Her voice carried the same apathy that was etched across her face, making the fire burning within Eli to rage all the more fiercely.

"You killed her," he said through gritted teeth, taking a step toward her, now within eyesight of the people on the playground. "You fucking killed her after what I told you..."

Selene sighed, giving the playground a small glance before returning her gaze to him. "You sound surprised."

"Surprised?! You murdered my--"

"Hushhh," she murmured, placing an arm around his shoulders and stepping close to him. He could feel the warmth of her body pressing against his with alluring softness. When he tried to break away, she held him tight. "It's best not to draw the attention of the muggles if we can help it," she whispered into his ear, and the suddenly nauseating feeling in his stomach told him that she intended them to pretend they were lovers, for the sake of watchful eyes.

He drew in a breath and held it, attempting to calm his nerves, which screamed for him to exact vengeance. "Why her? Why Lily? Of all the people in the world, why did you choose her? She's never done a thing to hurt anyone else..."

"Do try to see things my way," Selene purred, her eyes roving over the playing children. "Had I left her alive, she would have jeopardized our plan, and we wouldn't want that."

He looked over at her, his eyes narrowing. "_Our_ plan? What, exactly, is _our_ plan?"

She met his gaze and grinned, every bit of him distrusting the small gesture. "I asked you, the last time we met, whether you had ever considered murder."

Eli kept his silence, his fingers itching to draw his wand from his pocket.

"Hasn't that now changed?"

He opened his mouth, prepared to reply with vehement denial, but she spoke before he could.

"Two minutes ago, you would've liked to exact your revenge. You would have cursed me with no thought for the alternative. And if you were willing to risk Azkaban for a relative you rarely see....my dear, imagine what you would do if someone closer was in danger."

Eli was thrust into silence once more, all at once ashamed at his reaction. He had known it was irrational, in fact he'd advised Maddie against retributive violence on countless occasions. And yet here he was, proving her point.

"I believe you're ready to hear what it is I'm going to have you do..."

It was noon, and to Gracie's delighted surprise, _The Galleria_ was swiftly filling up with people from all over the city. She couldn't believe that Jude's plan had actually worked. A week ago, they were lucky to break even by the end of the day. But now...today, they were getting more customers than they could handle, and they'd even had to coerce Noah and Naomi into helping them serve the flow which refused to ebb.

"Noah, dear...I think the bell on the door fell again. Could you fix it when you're through with these orders?" Gracie almost felt bad for ordering around her children, but they seemed to enjoy being kept busy.

Across the room, Jude was setting up sound equipment for the next set while excited chatter buzzed around him. The day after his fight with Gracie, he'd begun to call around to the local musicians that he knew. It was the third one he contacted who gave him the idea to host a free concert in the coffee shop. Why the idea hadn't occurred to him before, he just couldn't understand, but it was bringing them the most business they'd had in months. Though there was no cover charge, drinks were flying from the bar so quickly that Gracie'd had to cast reduplicating charms on almost everything they sold. And, most importantly, she was the happiest he'd seen her in a long time.

When the phone rang moments later, Gracie almost didn't hear it. The band had begun to play, starting off slow and soft, a suspenseful dissonance lingering through the introduction as the talk from the crowd began to die down. She set down the mug she was holding and wiped her hands on her frock before stepping over to the phone.

"Hello?" She raised her voice slightly to be heard over the music, which was gradually beginning to pick up speed.

"Grace?" The voice on the other line cracked slightly, but she recognized it immediately.

"Dad? Oh Dad, you won't believe the night we're having! Jude--"

"You need to come home, Grace."

Gracie paused, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She glanced across the room, and Jude looked up, meeting her gaze before she turned away and stepped into the back room, taking the phone with her and shutting the door behind her. The noise outside was muffled, but she could tell the band was in full swing now, a raucous tune of coordinated madness.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked quickly, concern invading her expression and her tone.

"You need to come home," Chase repeated, and something about the way he spoke made her feel as if he was holding back some kind of pained emotion.

"O-Okay...I'll catch the next flight out of here...but Dad, it's an eight-hour flight. Can't you tell me anything?"

"Come alone. Apparate directly from the airport, don't go anywhere else by yourself."

"Dad, you're scaring me..." She frowned, the music getting louder than ever as her pulse pounded in her ears.

"Just please...get here quickly. I love you."

There was a click. Gracie looked down at the phone. Never in her life had her father hung up before she had the chance to say goodbye. It took every bit of her not to panic.

Jude was standing outside the door when she stepped out, looking every bit as concerned as she was afraid.

"Gracie, what's wrong?" he asked the moment he saw the look on her face. She shook her head, keeping her gaze away from his as she reached back to untie her frock.

"I have to go."

"Go? You can't be serious...you can't leave now!"

"Jude," she looked up at him finally, and he could see the dread in her eyes. "I have to be on the next plane home. My father needs me."

Jude laughed, shaking his head. "What do you mean, 'he needs you'? He's got your mother...he can't expect you to just fly out there--"

"Jude, this is serious. I have to leave right now, or I'm going to miss the next flight."

"But we need you here!" he raised his voice over the music blasting from the stage. He was really beginning to regret inviting that particular band.

"The kids can help you with everything. I'll be back as soon as I can," she stepped around him, stopping at the cash register. He watched as she took a few bills and stuffed them into her pocket and grabbed her wand from the countertop.

"You're really going to do this?" he asked as she stepped around him again, this time to grab her jacket from the back room. "The busiest day we've had in months, and you're going to leave halfway through?"

"I don't have another choice!" she said impatiently, shoving her arms through the sleeves of her jacket. "You can live without me for a night, I promise."

Jude sighed, resigning to the fact that he was not going to win this argument. It was clear that she had made up her mind and was refusing to budge. Gracie paused and looking over at him, her expression softening as she reached up and rested a hand against his cheek.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she said reassuringly, leaning forward and giving him a light, tender kiss. After a moment, she pulled away, stepping around him for a final time and starting toward the front doors. But before she could reach them, she was stopped by Naomi hurrying after her.

"Mom, wait! Where are you going?"

Gracie bit her lip and took in a steadying breath before she turned to look down at her daughter. "I'm going to visit Grandma and Grandpa, but I'll be back by tomorrow."

"I want to go!" Naomi cried, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Oh please, please, _please_ let me come with you!"

"I'm not going to be gone long and your father needs you here." She leaned down, kissing her gently on the top of her head. "Be good, and let me know everything that happened while I was gone."

Naomi frowned and sighed grumpily, but didn't put up any more of a fight. Gracie turned before she could be stopped again and narrowly avoided bumping into someone stepping into the coffeeshop as she was leaving. She stepped onto the sidewalk where she disapparated, jumping to the worst of conclusions as she wondered wildly what she was about to face.


	10. Christmas

Chapter Eight

Christmas

"And before I knew it, I was on a plane to Bermuda. Maddie was livid, of course, and I knew she was going to rip me a new one the minute I got home, but it was worth it. When I got back to my office a couple of days later, there was a memo on my desk saying I'd gotten a raise and a sizable bonus. Let's just say Maddie was a little more...forgiving...when she heard that news."

Everyone laughed, but Maddie rolled her eyes, shoving Adam off the arm of the chair she was sitting in.

"Stop making me sound like a gold-digger. I'm not _that_ shallow."

"It made you happy though, didn't it?" Adam laughed as he stood up from the floor and plopped down on the couch instead. Rosie moved over to give him room, one-month-old Eric squirming in her arms, trying to get comfortable again.

"Of course I was happy! We've got two boys who need schooling, and a front door that badly needs to be replaced..."

"Oh, like you're ever going to get _that_ fixed," Aiden joked, dodging the pillow she threw his way.

It was Christmas day, and most of the Scoresby family had gathered to celebrate. Charms had been cast and re-cast the entire day before over Ben and Julie's house and property, but still, some had elected to stay home. Claire had insisted that they spend the day with her family instead, and while Sophie had put up an almost violent fight, reason had won over. Eli had refused to leave the house, and had fought to keep Callie and Leah at home as well, but in the end, she'd stormed out without him. By the time dinner rolled around, Leah had thrown enough tantrums that Callie had simply given up and gone back anyway. Chase was absent, and Julie had fretted when Chris didn't show up until the middle of dinner. As a result, the crowd gathered in the living room by the end of the day was small, but they were all determinedly trying to convince Julie that nothing had changed. The lingering threat of danger would do little to impede upon their holiday celebrations.

In the upstairs guest bedroom, the children weren't entirely convinced that the holidays were going to be the same as usual, try as their parents might to assure them that everything was fine.

"It's just so weird, not having Sophie here..." Emma sighed, twisting the pullstring to her sweater in her fingers.

"And Noah and Naomi usually turn up every other year," agreed Nicky, his eyes trailing over the schoolbooks lining the bookshelf across the room. During the summer holidays, he loved to spend his time at his grandparents' house, pouring over the volumes his parents and aunts and uncles had accumulated during their time at Hogwarts. Occasionally, he found handwritten notes in the margins, or underlined passages. The ones he found most amusing had to have been written by his own mother, scathing comments about an author's take on a lethifold, or the random, _"We'll never need to know how to do this"_ scrawled beside a long explanation about transfiguration.

"But I suppose it's no wonder why they didn't come this time," he continued when neither Emma nor Lucas gave their input. When silence fell on the room once more, he sighed softly and pushed himself from the bed. Sophie, Ezra, and Hannah were usually good for conversation, but as Landon had kept the first two at home, and Hannah had locked herself in the third floor bedroom to write to her boyfriend, he was stuck with his little brother and cousin.

Nicky stepped out into the hallway and started up the stairs to the third floor. He could hear muffled conversation from the adults downstairs, but couldn't make out what was being said. When he reached the door to the bedroom that used to be his aunt Rosie's, he paused, listening to the sound of a quill scratching vehemently against parchment. After a moment, he knocked softly and opened the door.

Hannah gave him the smallest of glances before turning back to what she was doing. "Hey Nicky," she said offhandedly, scratching something out before setting the quill back to work.

"Hey," he crossed the room and sat lightly on the edge of the bed. "You've been in here since the end of dinner. Why don't you come join the party?"

"I'm busy," she replied, her eyes never leaving the letter. Nicky glanced over and raised his eyebrows slightly. It was starting to become quite long.

"You can do that any old time. You don't get to see the whole family that often..." He continued to watch her, but she didn't pause in her work. He wondered vaguely how she could have so much to say when it had only been a couple of weeks since they'd left the school, and he was fairly certain they'd been mailing each other daily since.

"It's not like the _whole_ family's here anyway," she shrugged.

"Maybe not, but just the same..."

Hannah sighed and finally stopped what she was doing to look up at him, an exasperated look on her face. "Knock it off, you're starting to sound like my dad."

"Well? Don't you think you're a little bit...obsessed?" He raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Just because _you_ don't have anyone to write to doesn't mean you have to take it out on me," she said bitterly, looking back down and deliberately etching her curvy signature, adding little hearts with a flourish. Nicky fought back a grimace.

"How long has it been since you wrote to Amy?"

Hannah shrugged again, making a small _hmph!_ noise that clearly indicated that she didn't know, and she didn't care.

"She said she couldn't write for a while, so why bother?"

Nicky watched her for a moment before reaching over and taking the parchment out of her hands. "Because she's your best friend?"

"Hey! Give that back!" Hannah exclaimed, swiping at the parchment, which he held high over his head. She sat up on her knees and lunged forward, but Nicky stood up quickly and took a step back away from the bed. Hannah sat back with a huff of a sigh and folded her arms across her chest. "She obviously doesn't want to talk, so why should I beg her to?"

"Because if you don't make an effort, and she doesn't make an effort, then she's going to come back and you two won't even know each other..."

Hannah shrugged and stood up, reaching up and snatching the parchment from Nicky's relenting hand. "Oh well." She brushed past him, but before she could reach the hallway, the doorbell rang. Hannah froze, a broad grin taking over as she clenched the letter in her hand. "Maybe that's him! He said he wouldn't come, but maybe he's going to surprise me!"

With that, she took off down the hall, descending the steps as fast as she could go. Nicky sighed, rolling his eyes, and followed after her, his pace leisurely. It could be anyone at the door, and he certainly wouldn't complain if Sophie's family had decided to make a belated appearance.

But when he reached the last few steps before the foyer, his heart leapt into his throat. Standing there on the threshold, unbelievably, improbably, _impossibly_...was Amy. He opened his mouth to speak, but what he heard next made him want to throttle his oldest cousin.

"Oh. Hey."

Two words, spoken with all the enthusiasm of someone remarking the dreary weather. He watched as the excited expression on Amy's face fell, and then her eyes met his. His breath caught in his throat and he had to grip the banister to keep himself from tripping. He smiled slowly.

Amy had spent her entire time in Africa wishing she was somewhere else. But the moment her parents announced that they would be visiting home for Christmas, every second of her miserable "vacation" seemed suddenly worthwhile.

She'd had to fight against the urge to write to Hannah, but when she resolved to keep it a surprise, the suspense had begun to build. She was going home. She was going to see her best friend, and she was going to make it the best Christmas she'd ever had. Even Jim was excited, and she knew that somewhere deep inside, he was planning to visit Alice. They would no longer be stranded in an impoverished country, and even if it was only for a couple of days, the reprieve from sweltering heat and unfamiliar magic would be the most welcome feeling of her entire life.

As she stood on the front porch of the Scoresby home, the very air around her seemed to tingle with excitement. She had meticulously planned what she was going to say when the door was opened, going so far as to prepare for every possible person who would be waiting behind it. Most of all, she hoped that Hannah would be standing there, as excited to see her as she was to be home. It didn't matter anymore that their last few letters had been short and unpleasant. Things were different, because she was home.

So when Hannah opened the door after Amy had restrained herself from repeatedly pressing the button for the doorbell, it took everything Amy had not to tackle her with a hug. She was confused to see the disappointed look cross her best friend's face, and the words she had planned died on her lips as Hannah spoke.

"Oh. Hey."

She couldn't understand it. She'd just flown for hours and ditched her family holiday celebrations early to be here. And now Hannah was acting as if she'd expected someone else. This wasn't the warm welcome she'd been hoping for.

A noise from the stairs made her look up and when she saw that Nicky was standing there, grasping the banister as if his life depended on it, a vice clamped down on her stomach and squeezed. Hannah barely cast the two of them a glance before stepping past Amy onto the porch.

"I have to send this off," she muttered, and before Amy could reply, she had set off toward the shed that held a small family of owls.

Amy watched her go in silence before taking a deep breath and holding it in. When she turned back to look at Nicky once more, a cold burst of wind brought snow swirling into the foyer.

"You can come in," Nicky said, biting his lip as he descended the last few steps. He closed the door behind her and reached up to take her coat. She unzipped it and let him guide it from her shoulders before glancing back at him.

"What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" she asked, baffled as to what that could possibly be.

Nicky sighed and shook his head, turning to hang up her coat on the coat rack. "She's been like that all day. All _month_, in fact. Ever since she started dating that Slytherin, it's been nonstop..." he faltered, turning back to her. "I'm glad you're here, though...I thought you weren't coming back until your parents were finished..."

Amy looked down at the floor and shuffled her feet, thinking for a moment before she looked at him again. "Is there somewhere else we could go to talk?" She glanced toward the living room, where the conversation was starting to become loud and a _little_ too happy. "Somewhere private?"

"Hmm..." Nicky glanced toward the living room too before reaching up for Amy's coat again. "Come on..."

After they had bundled up, Nicky led Amy outside onto the porch and soon they were off carving a path through the snow toward the tree-house beside the lake. Neither of them spoke until they were climbing through the trap door into the front room, which was cozy and dry, magically heated throughout the winter.

"I doubt anyone's even going to look outside, much less follow us up here," Nicky said as he peeled off his coat and shook away the snow that had settled in his hair.

Amy sighed deeply, sitting down on the wooden window seat. She watched as Nicky glanced toward her and took a step in her direction, then paused, as if debating whether or not she wanted him to sit beside her. She almost smiled, patting the seat next to her before turning her gaze to look out the window.

"I was so excited to come back..." she said softly as Nicky settled at her side, carefully leaving an inch or so of wood between them. "I mean, I know we stopped writing and all that, but I at least thought she'd be glad to see me."

"Why _are_ you here?" Nicky asked, and as soon as she looked at him with hurt in her eyes, he stammered to explain. "I-I mean....it's great that you are...it's just...you said you wouldn't be back for at least a year...what changed?"

Amy felt a sharp stab in her stomach—did no one want her here at all? She could feel the tears building up, but she fought against them. She'd done enough crying in front of him, and she didn't want to break down now if she could help it. "Does it matter?" she asked, her voice cracking slightly as she looked over at him. "I wanted to surprise Hannah. I even brought her something, but I doubt she wants it now."

She reached into her pocket and pulled a long loop of thin leather, and Nicky realized that it was a necklace, a carved wooden pendant dangling from her hand.

"See?" She held it out for him. His fingers brushed hers as he took it, running a thumb over the carving of a lion. "It isn't much..." she looked up at him, and guilt suddenly invaded her mind. "I should've gotten something for you too...but I didn't know...you can keep that if you want it."

Nicky looked up at her and their gazes met almost instantly. He bit his lip, squeezing the pendant gently in his hand. "Are you sure? Hannah may just be having an off day--"

Amy shook her head quickly. "She's _not_ having an off day! You said it yourself, she's been acting like this for weeks!" She was on her feet, gesturing with her arms as she spoke. "It's all because of that stupid boyfriend!"

She turned away from Nicky, her eyebrows furrowing in her effort to keep her tears at bay. She sniffled, unable to keep her voice from coming out thick. "Everyone's moved on here. Everyone else got to stay and go to school and get on with their lives, but not me. I'm stuck in that _stupid_ place, cut off from the whole world. And the one person--" she spun back around to look at him, holding up one finger, "--the _one _person who actually talks to me ditches me for a boy! It isn't _fair_. Doesn't she think that if I could have moved on too, I would have? If I could have spent my time being with someone else instead of writing her letters every damn day, I would've?"

Nicholas was suddenly consumed by guilt. He realized that, all this time, he'd been in the same position as Amy. Stuck, unable to move on, unable to come to terms with what she had said before she left. But not once had _he_ written to her. For all he said to Hannah about keeping in touch with her best friend, he'd never tried to get in touch himself.

"Amy...I'm sorry that this happened. And I'm sorry I didn't write to you--"

"Of course you didn't," Amy said exasperatedly, and Nicky noted that there was no hint of sarcasm in her words. "After what happened at your aunt's party....and I didn't even come to you to say goodbye before I left...believe me, being stuck in a mosquito tent makes you think a lot about the things that you regret. And I do, Nicky, I regret the way I left things..." She was wiping at her cheeks, rosy from the cold and streaked with tears. He stood, taking a few steps toward her, stopping just before she was within arm's reach.

She looked up at him slowly, her stomach doing somersaults in a way that she wasn't completely sure she liked. Their last conversation was coming back to her as if she were watching it on screen. How she had been so blunt when they were stuck in the tiny closet together. How could she have been so cruel? How could she have cut ties with the one person who obviously cared for her the most, when she was going to be cut off from everything that she knew?

Before she even knew what she was doing, she was stepping toward him, closing the gap that remained between them, her hands finding their way into his. She couldn't look away from his eyes, yet she wasn't seeing his face in the present. She was seeing his face as she had left it months ago, stricken and heartbroken.

"I'm so sorry..." she whispered, the smell of his skin overwhelming her, bringing back memories of the time they had spent together, before any of this had happened. She wanted it back. She wanted...

The gentle, warm feeling of his lips caressing hers came as sweet forgiveness for everything she had said and done.

This. She wanted this.

Her eyes slid closed as she kissed him back, and her hands trailed up his arms, coming to rest at the back of his neck. His body was pressing gently against hers, and she could feel the fluttering of his heart against her chest. They were caught in an embrace filled with warmth and forgiveness when suddenly a burst of cold air forced them to break apart.

"So _that's_ how it is!"

When Hannah stepped out of the owl shed after she'd securely tied her letter to Drake to one of the larger barn owls and set it loose, she noticed something odd. There were two sets of footprints in the snow that had not been there when she'd left the porch. They were leading around the side of the house into the back, and for a moment she'd debated whether or not to follow them. Curiosity won over in a matter of seconds, and soon she was on her way across the backyard, heading toward the lake that would be well frozen over.

As she went, she fumed over what had just happened. The nerve of Amy! To show up like this without a moment's notice, it was downright rude. They were in the middle of a fight, they weren't speaking, and she had the gall to turn up, expecting everything to be alright? It was insulting, and frankly, Hannah was sick of the games Amy played.

She'd been perfectly nice, she'd sent Amy that box from Honeydukes that she'd wanted so badly, but did Amy thank her? Hardly. The words were there, but also the ever so courteous, "I can't write, because I'm in Tanzania." Well, she could have embellished a little more, if it was going to be the last letter she'd send for a while. And why didn't she send a letter when she found out she was coming home for Christmas? Even _if_ they were fighting, Hannah would have like to have known! She might even have been excited. But it didn't seem like Amy had even thought twice about letting her best friend know that she was coming home.

Not to mention the fact that Amy had scarcely shown an interest in anything that had to do with Drake. Hannah had been so excited to share the news with her, but Amy's reply had been short and, in Hannah's opinion, rather sarcastic. Hannah would have been ecstatic if Amy had told her about whatever romantic rendezvous she might have been having in Africa, but did she ever indulge? Of course not. She had that "oh-so boring life." Whatever.

She was getting angrier with every step she took, and by the time she reached the lake, she hadn't even noticed that the footprints had disappeared. She cast around for a few seconds, finally spotting the trail that veered around the lake to the tree-house, where she noticed that the lights, which were bewitched to only turn on when someone was inside, were flickering warmly. Hannah narrowed her eyes and began a determined march toward the ladder.

As she climbed, she listened for the tell-tale voices of Nicholas and Amy, but only silence met her ears. She finally reached the top and pushed open the trap door with so much force, that it hit the floor of the tree-house with a bang.

And there they were. Her cousin and her best friend stood in the middle of the small room, their arms around each other. And they were _kissing_.

Indignant fury set fire to the anger already festering from her earlier encounter, and she was suddenly livid.

"So _that's_ how it is!" she exclaimed, already clambering into the room as the two broke apart and took a step away from each other. Amy's cheeks blazed ruby red, while Nicky seemed completely unperturbed. But she had eyes only for the girl now anxiously pulling on the drawstrings of her hood.

"That's the real reason you came," Hannah accused, pointing a finger at Amy. "That's why you're here."

Amy looked up at her, and all embarrassment faded from her expression, replaced by confusion. "What? No, it...Hannah, you have no _idea_..."

"Oh, I've got a pretty good idea, alright." She advanced on her, every bit of her stance offensive. "You can't leave well enough alone. First, you toy with my cousin's heart, and now you've come back just to screw with him even more. Well, I won't have it! You have no right to come in here, acting like you're the freakin' messiah just for showing up. If you don't stay away from Nicholas--"

"Now, hold on!" Amy interrupted, taking a step forward, her defenses flaring. "You're making some pretty huge assumptions for someone who said two measly words to me when you saw me. You didn't even stay long enough for me to say 'Merry Freakin' Christmas.' So if you're going to go about barking orders, you might as well just go back to writing to your stupid boyfriend."

Hannah gasped and narrowed her eyes. "How _dare_ you! I have every right to talk to Drake whenever I want. It's _you_ who thinks the whole world should be put on hold the minute you come into town."

"I've been gone for months, Hannah! The _least_ you could have done was _act_ like you were happy to see me!"

Nicky looked between the two of them, caught between the urge to stop the fight and to defend Amy. Somehow, he suspected that neither choice would do any good, so he remained silent, prepared to jump in if things got violent.

"Well maybe I'm not! Did you ever think of that? Unlike _some_ people in this room, I don't worship the ground you stand on!"

"Shut up!" Amy cried out, her hands balling into fists. "Shut up, that's not true!"

"Oh, it's not?" Hannah raised her eyebrows incredulously. "You know, I told Nicky to move on, to forget about you. You told me yourself you weren't going to look back after you broke up with him. And now you're teasing him and giving him false hope."

"You don't even know what happened! At least he cares that I'm here!"

Hannah laughed bitterly. "I don't see why. You broke his heart last time you were here, he shouldn't even give you the time of day--"

"That's none of your business--"

"Oh, own up to it, already! You broke up with him right before running off to Africa, and when you almost got killed together, you did it _again_. Even facing death, you wouldn't give him a chance!"

"It's not _like_ that, and you know it!"

"You're such a _bitch_, Amy." Hannah punctuated the word by shoving her spitefully.

"Hey--" Nicholas interjected, taking a step toward Hannah, but Amy responded before he could get a chance to do anything.

"I'm not the one abandoning my friends for some _boy_," Amy shoved her back, but the moment she did, she wished she could take it back.

Hannah stumbled backwards, but unlike Amy, she didn't have an entire room to catch her if she fell. Instead, her foot found the open trap door, and she disappeared through the hole faster than a rock falling through water.

"Hannah!"

Though both had cried out, Nicholas was the first to reach the ladder and begin climbing down it as fast as he could. Amy followed close behind him, desperately wishing that the last thirty seconds had never happened.

When they reached the bottom, Hannah was lying at the base of the tree, half covered in snow. Amy's stomach turned horribly and she fell to her knees beside her friend.

"Hannah?! Hannah, are you okay?!"

Nicky was on her other side, calm but worried. "Hannah, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can bloody hear you..."

Hannah's voice, while muffled and beyond irritated, sent a wave of relief crashing through Amy.

"Hannah!" she cried as her friend spit snow from her mouth and wiped her face. "I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry!"

The glare that she received as Hannah sat up was as cold as the snow surrounding them. Nicholas glanced quickly between the two girls, then hurried to grab Hannah's arm to help her up. As soon as he began to stand, she let out a scream and fell back to the ground.

"What's wrong?!" he asked, startled.

"My arm...you touched it, and it felt like..." but she trailed off, and Amy's eyes widened as she noticed that something wasn't quite right about the angle at which Hannah's arm was sitting. She clapped her hands over her mouth and gasped. Hannah looked at her.

"You broke my arm..." she said slowly, her voice a mixture of incredulity and pure anger.

"I didn't mean to!" cried Amy, beginning to panic. "I didn't know you were so close to the door! Honestly, Hannah, I'm so sorry!"

Hannah narrowed her eyes as she struggled to her feet. Amy stood and backed away several paces, shaking her head.

"I didn't...I _swear_ I didn't..."

"You're going to wish you hadn't once I'm—" Hannah began, but Nicky cut across her and put himself between his cousin and Amy.

"Save that for later, Hannah. Let's go inside and let your dad have a look..." Careful not to hurt her injured arm any further, he knelt to help her up and led her back up the hill toward the house. Amy followed at a cautious distance, wildly debating whether or not to run away as fast as she could.

When they got to the house, Amy hung back on the porch, apprehensive about facing the family after what she had just done. The last time she saw them, a house had blown up. Now what would they think of her? She was a bad omen on the family.

Of course, she had no way of knowing that the Scoresbys had grown so used to bad omens, that they typically ignored them.

"Hannah--" she began, reaching for Hannah's arm as they were stepping inside the house. Hannah drew back instantly, looking back at her. The stare she gave was as icy as the last, and Amy immediately fell silent.

The living room was full of cheerful banter and lively conversation as the kids emerged from the kitchen, looking sodden and, in Hannah's case, furious. Rosie was the first to look up and gasp.

"What happened?!" she asked in alarm, handing baby Eric to Wesley before standing up. The rest of the adults took in the situation and began to swarm around Hannah, who was clearly fighting back angry tears, Amy couldn't take it anymore. She turned, making a beeline for the back door.

She hardly heard Nicholas as he started after her, determined to get as far away from his family as possible. The door swung shut behind her as she stumbled out into the snow, which was nearing three feet deep by now.

"Amy, wait!"

She kept going, refusing to turn back until she felt Nicholas' hand grasping for hers. Even then, she pulled away, shaking her head vehemently and continuing down the slope that would eventually lead her to the village.

"Amy--"

His hands were at her shoulders and she felt herself being turned to face him. The boy she'd abandoned months ago, the one who wouldn't take no for an answer. She wondered vaguely why she'd expected him to let her escape so easily now.

"I can't stay," she found herself saying, looking up into his eyes. She hadn't noticed it before, and perhaps it was the sunset rebounding off the snow around them playing tricks on her eyes, but in the few months she'd been gone, Nicholas had grown almost a foot. The beginning fuzz of facial hair remained untouched on his chin, and as he looked down at her with sympathetic concern, he looked more like an adult than she'd ever seen him. Even when they were trapped inside a building that was literally falling around their ankles, he'd still seemed a child to her. But now, things were different. And she wasn't sure she liked it.

"You can't just walk home..."

"I'll go to a pub in the village, I'll use Floo Powder," she said, but even as the words came out of her mouth, she knew the idea was ridiculous. Her mother had brought her here using Side-Along Apparition, and now she was stranded if she didn't call for help. It would be embarrassing to explain why she'd stayed for such a short time when she'd begged for days to go home. And the village by the Scoresby home was inhabited by muggles in the majority. Even if she could find a fireplace, she wouldn't know where to begin looking for Floo Powder.

"The village is almost a mile walk," Nicholas said quietly, drawing his hands downward to meet hers. Of course, he was exaggerating, but the path would _feel_ like a mile in this weather. "Let my mum take you home. She doesn't mind apparating, and I'm sure she's sick of hanging around here all day. To be honest, it hadn't been a very exciting day until you came along..."

Amy watched as his lips curled up in a smile obviously intended to comfort her, but she pulled her hands away and shook her head again. "I can't go back in there."

"I know," he all but whispered, and she felt his hand cup her chin, gently forcing her to look at him again. "You don't have to...but I barely got to see you. Please stay just a little longer?"

Amy cast a doubtful look at the back of the house, speculating what must be going on inside the living room. Were Hannah's injuries serious? Would they be able to fix them? Surely they would. With two Healers in the family—no...not two. Aiden was the only Healer now. In all the excitement of coming home, Amy had forgotten the news story that had run in the Daily Prophet for nearly a week. _Former Matron of Hogwarts Infirmary Killed Brutally in the Night_. She knew Lily Moore had been a part of Nicky's family, but she'd neglected to write to him, to them...to send her condolences.

In a moment, she was in his arms again, murmuring apologies that left Nicholas baffled. She was clinging to him, not sobbing as she had done earlier, but plagued with regrets for which she seemed eager to compensate.

"Shhh," he whispered into her hair, running his hands gently across her back. "It's okay, everything's alright..."

After a while, Amy's murmurs tapered off and she let out a deep sigh, her cheek pressed against his chest. It was cold and windy, and the air was damp with heavy snowflakes, but her face was flushed by the warmth emanating from the boy in her arms.

"I'm so sorry," she said, her voice rising slightly above a whisper. "For what I said before I left..."

Nicholas glanced down at her, but she didn't stir from her position. He wouldn't urge her to look at him, and he stayed silent, allowing her to continue.

"Even if I was right...to break up with you...I went about it in entirely the wrong way." She was tracing circles around the buttons of his coat now, the fingers of her other hand balled up into a loose fist against the right side of his chest. He held her close, his fingertips sorting through the ends of her hair. "I shouldn't have done it. We could have managed...even if I _was_ in Africa..."

"We can still manage." The words were out before he could stop them, and by the hesitation in his hands, Amy could tell that even he was surprised. Slowly, she leaned back to look up at him, though she stayed within his grasp.

"What do you--" she began, but felt her tongue tripping over the words. "You still..."

"I mean, if you want..." He was clearly having the same issues with articulation.

"But after all I did...and you haven't...moved on?" she asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

He shook his head, giving a small shrug.

"A-are....are you sure?" she asked, something bubbling up within her. Something not quite hope, not quite excitement, but another emotion she couldn't place while her thoughts were so fuzzy.

Nicholas broke into a smile, leaning down and planting a small kiss on the tip of her nose. "I'm sure if you're sure..."

Suddenly, Amy's face hardened and she pointed a finger up at him warningly.

"You can't say things I'm not ready for," she ordered, and though she was vague, Nicholas knew exactly what she meant. She was referring to the incident just before Hannah's house had blown up, when he'd told her he loved her. He was certain his feelings hadn't changed, but he nodded anyway.

"Right. From now on, you take the wheel."

This made her smile, and she leaned upward, capturing his lips in a kiss so light, so genuine, that he felt his heart leap in his chest.

"Okay..." she said once she had pulled away, reaching back and finding his hands. She took them in her own and drew them up between their bodies. "We can do this...first thing when I get home, I'll send you a letter. I'll tell you everything as soon as I know about when we're leaving. _And_ when we're coming back for a visit...okay?"

Nicholas nodded, though at the back of his mind, he couldn't help but feel disappointed. Things were starting to go well again, and just when his dreams had come true, when he had Amy back again, she was going to be whisked away, back to the life she hated. But he hoped it would at least improve a little, her knowing that he would be awaiting every letter, every small sign of correspondence.

After they had spent what Nicholas felt was an obscenely short amount of time together on the back porch, she mentioned calling a cab to take her to a train station. He'd jumped up quickly and told her to wait, that he would fetch his mother, and she'd be more than willing to take her home.

When Maddie stepped out onto the porch behind Nicky, she was laughing. Amy blinked, looking up at her in bemusement. As she glanced toward Nicky, she noticed he was fighting back a scowl.

"What is it, Mrs. Wright?" Amy asked as politely as she could as she stood up from the porch swing.

Maddie snickered a bit more, shaking her head before she looked over at Amy.

"All my life, I lived with four annoying siblings...but not once, not _once_ did I ever think to push them out of the tree..." she laughed, clearly delighted though Nicky looked closer to horrified. Amy glanced between them, uncertain what to make of Maddie's comment. But it didn't matter, because she seemed to be amusing herself now. "You'd think! All those times we were in the tree-house....hell, Eli practically fell out of it without my help. But I _saved_ him...blimey, I don't know _what_ I was thinking..."

As she said her goodbyes to Nicky and took his mother's hand, Amy suddenly realized what the emotion she'd felt earlier actually was. Smiling at Nicky and giving him a small wave and one last kiss on the cheek, she had to suppress the gnawing emotion that stole over her insides like a vicious disease. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had just made a very big mistake.


End file.
